Bayreuth Bars i N.P.D. Congress

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31923, 26 February 1969, Page 6

Bayreuth Bars i N.P.D. Congress

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright j BAYREUTH (West Germany), February’ 23. Mr Adolf von I hadden and his right-wing National Democratic Party (N.P.D.) executive conferred in Bayreuth secretly in a dingy hotel room on Friday night as 4000 people attended an official counter-rally.

The protest rally was organ-: ised by the main political : parties, the Christian and Social Democrats, after the town council had successfully , forced a keynote pre-election , [N.P.D. congress out of Bay- . reuth—one of Hitler’s favour- i ite haunts. : The Nationalist party is be)ing forced to hold its con- ! gress in a hotel in Schwabach, a modest little town near , Nuremberg—and a big comedown from the stately Bayreuth Congress hall. But the executive met be- ; hind drawn curtains in ai, hotel which bears the emblem! of former Germanic glory—the “Reich Eagle.” Mr Von Thadden seemed (unperturbed by the open hos-i tility of the town authorities! or having to use the hotel! rear entrance to escape jour-

nalists and anti-N.P.D. demon- * strators who roamed the town in search of the party leader. J. The counter-rally, held in ‘ the Bayreuth cattle market,' was interrupted by some 20 - supporters of the far-Left German Socialist Students’ League, who parodied the Nazi salute with shouts of “Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil” and set ‘ off fireworks among the - crowd. After stewards pulled them . out, the Social Democratic », Party floor leader, Mr Helmut f Schmidt, commented: “What , [we are seeing tonight is a repetition of what happened! .n the 1920 s when Fascists*: [and Communists trampled de- ‘ ! mocracy underfoot,”/ [ He said Left-wing ektrem- ’ I ism was only driving voters to ' the National Democrats.