 should appear as witnesses worked as informants for the domestic intelligence service, the Verfassungsschutz (Constitution Protection). The trial turned into a major political scandal, was first temporarily suspended and finally rejected by the court because of the unclear influence of informants in the actions and image of the NPD. This issue has raised similar concerns globally, as attempts by all sides to discredit neo-Nazi parties often hinge on the availability of evidence that such groups are violent or illegal in some way. With informants and infiltrators in such groups so common, and the very purpose of these agents being to confirm suspicions of malevolent intent, it becomes difficult to discern whether a violent or illegal action is the product of the actual Nazi Party, or of the infiltrators own personal desire to see the party discredited.
In 2004, the NPD received 9.1% of the vote in the parliamentary elections for Saxony, thus earning the right to seat parliament members. The other parties are refusing to enter into discussion with the NPD.
Neo-Fascism in Italy
Organizations that have been described as 'Neo-Fascist' and/or 'Neo-Nazi' include;
Since the 1990s, Alleanza Nazionale has distanced itself from Mussolini and fascism and made efforts to improve relations with Jewish groups, with most die-hards leaving it; it now seeks to present itself as a respectable rightwing party. Lega Nord is primarily a secessionist movement, but has often been accused of xenophobia and racism; however, it has also lately presented its goals as a more moderate quest for local autonomy.
Neo-Nazism in the USA
Neo-Nazi Alliance rally in front of Capitol in Washington D.C.
In the USA, broad freedom of speech allows political organizations great latitude in expressing Nazi, racist or anti-Semitic ideology. Several White supremacist or white separatist groups share large parts of their ideology with Nazism. Due to First Amendment restrictions, the federal government generally cracks down on such organizations only after members engage in hate crimes and violence.
Organizations that describe themselves as being 'Neo-Fascist' and/or 'Neo-Nazi' or do not object to the label include:
Organizations which have been described as Neo-Fascist or Neo-Nazi, but which object to the label include:
Neo-Nazism in the UK
The following British organizations have been described as neo-Nazi:
Neo-Nazism in Russia
Russia may seem like an unlikely place for a flowering of neo-Nazi movements due to the strong memories of the devastation that was wrought on the nation by the Nazi German invaders during World War II. Nevertheless, the post-Soviet era has seen the rise of a variety of extremist nationalist political movements, some of them paramilitary organizations of openly neo-Fascist or neo-Nazi persuasion. These organizations are characterized by extreme xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and an active interest among a few of these groups in overthrowing the government and taking power by force. As of 2004, the Russian neo-Nazis constitute one of the greatest potential threats to the political and social stability in Russia. Whereas Vladimir Putin's government seems to keep them in check, if the economic and social conditions in the country deteriorate significantly in the future, an attempted neo-Nazi rebellion could well be on the horizon. However, neo-Nazis still represent a small minority when it comes to rebellious groups, with much of that category actually filled by Communists and Islamic extremists.
The collapse of the Soviet economic system which culminated the early 1990s caused an economic and social meltdown of epochal proportions, one often described as far exceeding the devastation the USA has experienced during the Great Depression. There was a great deal of popular discontent with the widespread unemployment and poverty, as well as the widely perceived humiliation with the end of the Cold War that was generally seen as constituting an unconditional surrender to the nation's enemies.
This discontent found its main outlet in the major political 