Taiwan students cancel
plans to honor Hitler

Tribute to Hitler called off, group mum on reasons
Combined News Agencies Sunday, 18 March 2007 / Page 2

TAIPEI — A rally planned for yesterday in Taichung by members
of a student group to advocate Nazi ideology and pay tribute
to Hitler was canceled without explanation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday warned the group, called
the National Socialism Association (NSA), not to hold the event
to revere Adolf Hitler.

The ministry said the move would tarnish Taiwan's image and
offend countries invaded by Nazi Germany.

"Members of the NSA plan to meet on Saturday at the Taichung
train station to pay homage to Adolf Hitler and advocate Nazism.
The NSA and this event have been covered by major media outlets
worldwide and have given the international community a skewed
picture of Taiwan," the ministry said in a statement.

"Although Taiwan respects and enjoys freedom of speech, it is
a responsible member of the global village that upholds universal
values and respects human rights. Hitler and the Nazis invaded
many countries during World War II and [allegedly: ed.] murdered
6 million Jews. This violence has been widely condemned by the
international community," it added.

"In a world of increasingly frequent international exchanges, this
ministry hopes that freedom of speech in Taiwan does not come
at the expense of tarnishing our good name as a guardian of
freedom and human rights," the statement said.

"Making sure that this does not happen is our shared responsibility.
Clearly, advocating Hitler and Nazism is both wrong and harmful
for Taiwan's international image," it added.

The NSA says it has 20 members and 800 supporters planning
to join it.

NSA's Web site is emblazoned with an emblem similar to a Swastika.
The group says it was founded 19 months ago, but only became
known recently.

It claims to study the "good theories" of Hitler, like building a welfare
state and wants to restore Chinese values, but also favors limiting
the number of foreign workers.

On its Web site, some of the members have signed their names as
"Hitler," "Hess," "Colonel," "Nazi Station Master" and "Gestapo."

The self-exposure of the NSA has triggered concerns that this could
herald the emergence of a neo-Nazi movement in Taiwan.

Israel's de facto ambassador to Taiwan, Raphael Gamzou, earlier
this week expressed concern over the group.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has also condemned the NSA for its
worship of Hitler.