ABSTRACT
After the implosion of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Germany has witnessed a surge in xenophobic violence in both eastern and western halves. Although the subject of rightwing extremism has become more topical since 1989, neo-Nazi groups have been active in both parts of Germany all along. The number of homeless in eastern Germany has continued to climb, reaching 7,800 by late 1996, in Saxony-Anhalt alone. Not surprisingly, discontent with the system is widespread in the new Bundeslander. Rightwing extremism is nothing new to eastern Germany. By 1986, East German skinheads were terrorizing punks, whom they considered “left-wing.” With the collapse of the GDR, many contract workers left, returning to their homelands or seeking asylum in West Germany. The German government set 17 April 1994 as a final deadline for the return of all remaining foreigners from the former GDR to their native homelands.
