Neo-Nazi made it to the second round of regional elections in Germany

German media describe Tommy Frenck as a “nationally known neo-Nazi”;

A neo-Nazi who sells Hitler memorabilia online has qualified for the second round of key regional elections in Germany.

Tommy Frenk, described in German media reports as a “nationally famous neo-Nazi.” , passed the first round of voting in Sunday's district elections in Hildburghausen, Thuringia, and qualified to stand in the second round.

Mr Frenck runs the online store druck18, which sells Third Reich-themed merchandise. bed linen and a restaurant offering schnitzel for 8.88 euros, a coded reference to the Nazi slogan «Heil Hitler» since H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, reports Spiegel magazine.

His political movement, the Alliance for the Future of Hildburghausen, is considered the «leading neo-Nazi» group in the area by the Office for the Defense of the Constitution, the German equivalent of MI5.

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His popularity comes amid shock in Germany after a video emerged over the weekend showing young people far away chanting -Correct slogans and greeting Hitler at the resort of Sylt.

German leaders condemned the Sylt incident, in which young people chanted «foreigners out» to the tune of the French song «L'amour toujours», and Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned their behavior as «disgusting» and «unacceptable».

A leading Green MP said she was outraged that Mr Frenk was allowed to stand in the election at all. Local election laws state that candidates who pose a threat to the «democratic order» and the German constitution are prohibited from participating in elections.

“It is shocking that a real neo-Nazi, who has so far repeatedly demonstrated anti-constitutional sentiments, was even allowed to run for the district council,” Irene Mihalich told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.

” A person with such an openly demonstrated attitude and obvious progress towards The Nazi era and its symbols should never be allowed to occupy such an important position in our democratic constitutional state,” she added.

Mr. Frenk was quite a famous person. a figure in Germany since 2015, when he began holding a number of far-right events, including concerts, in Hildburghausen.

As of Tuesday evening, Mr. Frenk appeared to have given no response to criticism of his electoral progress.

In an interview with the German tabloid Bild in 2022, in which he was told about his apparent love for Adolf Hitler and views on the Holocaust, he said: “I can’t talk about this topic because in Germany you cannot express your opinion freely.”