German police have launched an investigation after an Adolf Hitler clone staged a two-man invasion of a motorcycle event in the city of Augustusburg, Saxony, over the weekend.
The man, wearing a black trench coat and sporting Hitler’s signature toothbrush moustache, sat in the sidecar of a WW2-era motorcycle driven by a man dressed as a Wehrmacht soldier.
In one clip posted to social media, their motorcycle is seen parking backwards next to a police car, as the police officer behind the wheel films the action with a smile and doesn’t attempt to intervene.
#augustusburg #Sachsen da wo sich auch die @PolizeiSachsen daran erfreut, wenn "Adolf H." mit dem #Motorrad vorfährt. 🤷♂️https://t.co/ndOLlj8w0d#niewieder#fcknzs https://t.co/AMvXZt8JMb pic.twitter.com/EnGAGwHnhE
— Spekulatius Chemnitz (@SpekulatiusC) January 12, 2020
A police spokesperson said in a statement that the officer acknowledged his misconduct following a “constructive conversation” at the Chemnitz police headquarters.
“The behaviour of the colleague is not acceptable,” the statement read. “A detailed evaluation will be made. The only right thing to do would have been to intervene and stop them on the scene.”
Augustusburg Mayor Dirk Neubauer and Saxony Governor Michael Kretschmer have both condemned the Hitler parade. Kretschmer wrote on Twitter that “the appearance as a mass murderer is beyond tasteless.”
"Der Mann, der in einem Beiwagen saß, war den Mitarbeitern nach aktuellem Recherchestand nicht aufgefallen."https://t.co/XqZayvOoHg#augustusburg #sogehtsächsisch #FCKNZS pic.twitter.com/LO3xHkspwt
— EffizJens (@Unsitte) January 13, 2020
German law prohibits “the use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations”, which includes insignia, uniforms and slogans. It appears that neither of the two bikers displayed any Nazi insignia, so it remains to be seen whether any charges will be pressed against them under that law.
However, they could be prosecuted for disturbing public safety and order, police said, as officials are looking into the incident.
