Berlin Bans Neo-Nazi Rally

Authorities in the German capital said Friday they outlawed a planned rally by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) "against Islamic centers in the city." Berlin state interior minister Ehrhard Koerting said the organizers violated religious freedom laws with their call to protest Saturday in the district of Wedding, which has a large Turkish population. "Those who adopt such issue to incite the masses may not demonstrate in Berlin," he said. The NPD, which is riding a wave of popular support after gaining a surprise 9.2 percent in an election in the eastern state of Saxony last weekend, had called for the march under the motto "Berlin stays German." Officials justified the protest ban on the grounds that the NPD, Germany's most radical right-wing party, intended to provoke negative and demeaning reactions to the city's foreigners.