Police stand in front of banners reading 'Donate with every step, march' (top left), and '#Right against right' (top right), during a far-right march in Wunsiedel, southern Germany. Letters on the ground say 'Thanks for euro 2,500!' November 15, 2014. (photo credit: AP/dpa, Fricke)
BERLIN — A small town in Germany has turned a far-right march into an unwitting walkathon for an exit program for neo-Nazis.
After failing to prevent neo-Nazis from staging an annual pilgrimage to the birthplace of Adolf Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess, the Bavarian town of Wunsiedel decided to change tack this year.
Residents and businesses pledged to pay 10 euros ($12.50) for every meter the neo-Nazis walked, and motivational signs were erected along the route of Saturday’s march.
Inge Schuster, a spokeswoman for the town, said Tuesday that the stunt received “a great response,” raising more than 10,000 euros for the group EXIT-Deutschland that helps people leave the neo-Nazi scene.
Rudolf Hess (left) and Joachim von Ribbentrop in the defendants’ box during the 1946-47 Nuremberg Trials (photo credit: Truman Library/Wikipedia)
Hess was buried in Wunsiedel in 1987. Three years ago his remains were exhumed, cremated and scattered at sea.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNationstreaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
