Re-purposed Historical German Flags

by Modern German neo-NAZI Extremist Groups

Last modified: 2024-07-20 by pete loeser
Keywords: nationalsocialist | neonazi |
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Important Note: All the parties included or linked from this page, have been classified as either Right Extremist, National Socialist, or neo-Nazi by one or more contributors to the FOTW mailing list.

• Introduction: - Laws prohibiting National Socialist and neo-Nazi groups and flags in Germany.
• Imperial German Flags - used by Modern German neo-NAZI Extremist Groups
• War Minister's Flag 1919-1933 - used by Modern German neo-NAZI Extremist Groups

• National Socialist and neo-Nazi Flags 1 - 1 of 2 pages
• National Socialist and neo-Nazi Flags 2 - 2 of 2 pages
• National Democratic Party of Germany - Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD)
• Liberal German Workers' Party - Freiheitliche Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (FAP)
• German Empire Party 1950-1964 - Deutsche Reichspartei (DRP)
• Socialist Empire Party 1949-1952 - Sozialistische Reichspartei (SRP)
• "No Paragraph 130" Flag
• Christian Falangist Party of Germany - Christlich Falangistische Partei Deutschlands/CFPD

• National Socialist German Worker's Party - Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP or Nazi)
• Banned Flags in Germany
• Political Parties (Germany)
• Neonazi Flags
• Index of all German Pages

Introduction: Laws Prohibiting National Socialist and neo-Nazi Groups and Flags in Germany.

The prohibition of right-wing extremist groups [and the displaying of certain flags and symbols] (began) in the 1990s (with early actions in that same path as early as 1952. (source). In Germany, under the Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany) or Deutsches Grundgesetz (German Basic Law), generally abbreviated "GG", more rarely "GrundG", issued on May 8, 1949 and adopted on May 23 of that same year, particularly prohibites organizations against a Democratic regime. In that same line, there are regulations at Federal, State and Municipal level, of which, the Federal issued by either the Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court), Bundesministerium des Innern (Federal Ministry of the Interior) are the most important ones, under which, all of them interact.
These principles are mostly observed in Article 9 and Article 21.
Esteban Rivera, 16 August 2017

Use of Imperial German Flags
by Modern German neo-NAZI and Extremist Groups

Because of legal bans against using the swastica and NSDAP flags in Germany, many extremist groups have adopted the practice of using historical Imperial flags and modern variants at their demonstrations and rallies. Examples would be the following Imperial Era flags:

3:5 Image by Carsten Linke
Imperial War Ensign 1903-1919

Image by Marcus Schmöger
Imperial Jack 1903-1919

The Reichskriegsflagge 1867-1919 is also reported to be in use by German neo-Nazi groups.
António MARTINS-Tuválkin, 27 May 1998

The black-white-red colours of the German Empire 1871-1919 are prominently displayed [by the NPD and other parties]. These colours are displayed in party conventions and during demonstrations.
NPD demonstrators wave different versions of black-white-red:

• The plain black-white-red Imperial Tricolour.
• The black-white-red with a black Iron Cross (essentially the Imperial jack 1871-1919 and 1933-1935). The War Ensign 1933-1935 is also used.
• A mpdern variant of the Imperial ensign with a slimmer Iron Cross.
• A black-white-red field with a black-red-gold in the canton (the German Civil Ensign 1919-1933).

It is my understanding that in Germany today, in addition to Nazi flags being banned, flags from the Kaiserreich era are also banned, notably the German naval ensign.
Anonymous, 4 Feb 2001

Issue 11 (12th March 2001) of the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, p. 76, showed this picture of a Weimar Republic flag on display at the shop of NPD party members in Ehringshausen (Hesse) - obviously because of the black-white-red colours. It is the State Ensign 1926-1933.
Marcus Schmöger, 19 Mar 2001

Use of War Minister's flag (1919-1933)
by Modern German neo-NAZI and Extremist Groups

3:5 Image by Marcus Schmöger
War Minister 1919-1921

2:3 Image by Marcus Schmöger
War Minister 1921-1933

The use of Imperial flags by modern German extremist groups has lately inspired similar use of the 1919-1933 War Minister's flags which display the Iron Cross upon the black-red-gold field - a design that may appeal to the ultra-rightists, but also look less neo-Nazi related. A flag essentially identical with the 1919-1921 War Minister's flag was used during a rally by the Alternative for Germany which took place in Erfurt on 2015-11-04. The photo can be found here. A very similar flag, with a slightly different Iron Cross, was photographed in 2018; unfortunately, no details about the time and place of use were presented. A forum thread discussing the photo can be viewed here.
Tomislav Todorovic, 2 Jun 2024

It may appeal to the ultra-rightists, but it doesn't have to. Neither the Iron Cross nor the colours have Nazi roots. Ironically most people don't know that such flags, which they are using, have their origin in the Weimar Republic, which fell because it was not resilient against extremist groups and parties. Also in the linked forum not one participant knows about the origin of the War Minister's flag. Such flags are also being used by conservative people who reject Nazism. I'm not advocating for the AFD, this party has crossed too many red lines for my taste. But this kind of German flags, which most people don't even know their origins, are ambivalent. The only thing one may say, that this flag (e.g. also the Wirmer Resistance Flag) are not being used by left extremists.
Martin Karner, 2 Jun 2024