The Nazis Are Coming

Today once again marks the anniversary of the infamous 1945 Allied firebombing of Dresden that, in one night, leveled most of the city and killed somewhere between 24,000 and 40,000 of its inhabitants.

Neo-Nazis rally along the Elbe River in Dresden, across from the city's famous Frauenkirche.
(Photo from 2005 timesonline.co.uk article.)

And tomorrow, as they do every every year, the Neo-Nazis will descend on Dresden promoting their belief that the firebombing of Dresden was, in actuality, a racist holocaust enacted against Germans. Anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 are expected to gather downtown tomorrow, prompting a massive police operation that will involve over 3,000 officers. There will also, of course, be a massive left-wing counter-protest, and I'm sure the police force will be kept busy. An e-mail was sent around the biotechnology institute where Jake works warning all foreigners either to be especially careful downtown or to avoid it altogether.

My initial reaction upon hearing news of the rally was, "Oh man. I am so there." Purely for curiosity and educational reasons, of course. But the more I think about spending my Valentine's Day with Neo-Nazis, the less appealing it sounds. Besides, it's probably not the best atmosphere to be bringing a baby into. Even if said baby is an Aryan.



JEM

P.S. Stay tuned for a video tour of a couple of sites particularly significant to the 1945 bombing of Dresden.