A German magazine has published claims by a whistleblower that right-wing extremism is tolerated within the country’s elite fighting command. One instructor allegedly made no secret of his support for neo-Nazi ideals.
The whistleblower described a culture where right-wing extremism within the 1,000-personal strong command was “known about internally,” but, for multiple reasons, was collectively either “ignored or completely tolerated.”
The captain, who has served in the KSK since 2018, provided many examples of where right-wing extremist behavior was allegedly allowed. These include one of his instructors making no secret of his “aggressively national conservative attitude.”
His command center also used the code “Y-88” as a “call sign” by which the soldiers identify themselves in radio communications. The numbers 88 are the white-supremacist numerical code for the Nazi salute. The recruits had noticed the clear reference to Hitler, but no one had said anything for fear of being punished, said the whistleblower.
He also compared the strict leadership of prospective KSK fighters in training and expected rigorous obedience to the Waffen-SS – the military branch of the Nazi party.
