BERLIN - Members of a far-right German party boycotted a moment of silence at a state parliament held in honor of Nazi victims Wednesday, the 75th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's elevation to German chancellor.
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The six lawmakers of the far-right National Democratic Party from the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania refused to rise from their seats during a moment of silence.
Lawmakers from other parties said they were disgusted with the boycott, causing the parliamentary session to be temporarily interrupted.
The NPD leader for the state said his party was not willing to participate in a memorial that only honored victims of the Nazis and not Germans who died as well.
Hitler's accession to chancellor on Jan. 30, 1933, gave the Nazi party its "in" to eventually consolidate absolute control over the country in the months soon after, setting it on the path to World War II and the Holocaust that left millions of people dead.
The day is not largely marked in Germany, although schools planned extra lessons on the event nationwide.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
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