The racist series of murders of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) marked a break in the Federal Republic of Germany’s History. The independent monitoring agency NSU-watch: Educate and Intervene researches the background and documents the actual development of the NSU. The website https://www.nsu-watch.info is a site that is at the disposal of the public. This independent monitoring agency was founded from anti-fascist projects from all over Germany, which for more than two decades have observed the extreme right. Since the NSU was exposed in November 2011 we have pooled our research and over the years brought together our knowledge.
The first trial against Beate Zschäpe and the four other alleged NSU-members respectively, begins on May 6, 2013 before the High Regional Court in Munich. It is already clear that this trial will be a mammoth case, with three trial days every week and more than a hundred witnesses. We want to continue the work of observation and to continuously accompany the NSU-trail because we believe that the process of comprehensive and continuous monitoring is essential. That’s why NSU-Watch intends to provide documentation and transcripts of the court proceedings on each day of the trial and to prepare assessments of the experts, as well as making the results of the accompanying investigation available for all interested in the proceedings, namely, the independent public, joint plaintiffs and their representatives, the media, anti-fascists, immigrant and civil society initiatives, members of parliament, etc. The aim is also to provide the protocols and important articles in Turkish and English translation.
It has long been public knowledge that the authorities of all the involved federal states and of the federal government have kept information in their possession hidden as long as possible, if they did not destroy it. That is why the work of the NSU-Watch is so important. Because an informed and enlightened public can—parallel to the parliamentary investigation committee and the research of journalists–generate pressure for effective intervention.
A network of civil society initiatives, consulting initiatives, consulting projects against racism and right-wing extremism, immigrant self-organizations, civil rights organizations, academics and other parties already support NSU-Watch. They also consider an independent, non-governmental trial observation crucial and necessary both for society and for the further educational work.
Our independent monitoring agency NSU-Watch: Educate and Intervene belongs to the Antifascist Press Archive and Educational Center in Berlin (apabiz) and the Anti-Fascist Information, Documentation, and Archive in Munich (a.i.d.a). Members of the NSU-Watch are accredited to be on site for the trial from the start of the proceedings on May 6, 2013.
NSU-Watch has the following objectives:
- Continuous recording and independent observation of the criminal proceedings against the NSU-Members and their network.
- Preparation of research as well as transcripts and reports from the trial for all interested in an independent, separate appraisal of the proceedings.
- Translation of the transcripts and reports in Turkish and English.
- Independent and supporting research regarding the different complexities of the NSU-murders for the lawyers of the ancillary suit and journalists.
- Public, easily accessible documentation for academic research.
- Networking of the involved initiative.
- Contacts for all of the NSU-discussion’s working initiatives and the plaintiffs.
- Public relations during the criminal proceedings.
Professional Structures need money.
In the next weeks and months the team of the independent NSU monitoring agency cannot achieve their continuous and reliable work merely through volunteers. The daily work of continuous accompaniment of a long-running criminal trial with many trial days each week is not the only possibility of the project, in addition to the daily work, the complexity of the issues surrounding the NSU topics requires extensive examination of various aspects and issues. We want to create professional for the independent NSU monitoring agency, so we can manage the upcoming extensive documentation and explanations. In order to do this, we need your financial support. For the trial we expect our financial expenditures to be 590euros.
You can support the independent monitoring agency easily and without red tape, either with individual gifts (obviously with donation receipts) or with a monthly sponsorship. You can sponsor an individual person, a specific project or enterprise, or you can become a sponsor for specific days of the trial. On 300euros NSU-Watch have already secured their work a place at the hearing location in Munich. Whether as an individual or an initiative, anyone and everyone can get involved as a part of civil society!
You can donate by bank transfer to our bank account, or by direct debit through the donation tool above, or through Paypal.
Donation Account
Account Holder apabiz e.V
Account Number 3320803
Bank Routing Number 10020500, Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
Reference: Beobachtung
BIC: BFSWDE33BER
IBAN: DE46 1002 0500 0003 3208 03
The donations are tax deductable. In order to issue a tax receipt we will need your name and your address. Please clearly mark the donation with “Beobachtung (observation)” these donations are specifically marked for the observation.
Donations by direct debit:
Donate by direct debit from your account through the link to the Bank für Sozialwirtschaft.
Donate via PayPal
As of now the following projects and organizations participate in the observation:
a.i.d.a—Antifascist Information, Documentation and Archive, Munich, registered association
Anti-Fascist Info Sheet (AIB, Anti-Fascist Info Blatt)
Apabiz– Anti-Fascist Press Archive and Educational Center of Berlin registered association.
Anti-Racist Education Forum Rhineland
Arguments registered association, Network of anti-racist initiations
ART Dresden
The Right Edge-Magazine by and for Antifascists
Research Network: Woman and Right Wing Extremeism
LOTTA: Anti-Fascist Newspaper in NRW
