5,000 attend neo-Nazi festival in Swiss village
The emergence of Rocktoberfest, in the village of Wildhaus-Alt St Johann, comes amid concerns over the rise of similar events in other German-speaking countries
News By IQ | 20 October 2016
On the same weekend negative media attention forced the cancellation of a planned show in Falkirk, Scotland, by American white-power band Bound for Glory, an event being called the biggest neo-Nazi rally in living memory went ahead without problems in a small Swiss village.
Close to 5,000 skinheads descended on Wildhaus-Alt St Johann, near the German border, on Saturday for the Rocktoberfest event, which hosted performances by Blood and Honour-linked bands Stahlgewitter, Confident of Victory, Frontalkraft and Amok.
“This is one of the biggest gatherings that has taken place since the emergence of the [skinhead] movement in the late 1970s,” Stéphane François, a lecturer at the University of Valencia, tells Le Figaro. “Ordinarily, these types of events brings together tens of people, or hundreds for larger events.”
You've used your free article this month
Create a free account to read 3 articles per month, or subscribe for unlimited access.
