Germany: Neo-Nazi violence on the rise

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MUNICH, Germany, May 1 (UPI) -- Officials say neo-Nazi attacks are on the rise in parts of western Germany, particularly Nuremberg and Bavaria.

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution says several hundred neo-Nazi assaults have occurred recently in Nuremberg alone. The Nurnberger Nachrichten says between November and April, there have been more than 50 attacks.

Michael Helmstedt of the Alliance Against Right-Wing Extremism says attacks are taking place in other parts of western Germany, as well.

"It's getting worse, more brutal and increasingly public," he told Deutsche Welle.

Officials say neo-Nazis are targeting foreigners or anyone who appears foreign. Just recently, a right-wing extremist group paraded down the streets of Weissenburg in Bavaria, afterward smashing the windows of democratic party offices and attacking foreigners with knives.

"Experiencing this is not nice," a Turkish vegetable dealer identified as Murat told Deutsche Welle. "One doesn't even feel like a second-class human being anymore, it's more like third class."