BERLIN,
November 4 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The head of the
German military's special forces was sacked Tuesday, November 4, after
reportedly backing a German lawmaker, who had recently described Jews
as a "race of perpetrators."
Defense
Minister Peter Struck described General Reinhard Guenzel as a
"lone, confused general", asserting he was being stripped of
his post with immediate effect, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
This
again highlights the acute sensitivity in Germany, because of its
unique past, to anything which smacks of anti-Semitism or is seen to
hark back to the Nazi era.
According
to ZDF public television, Guenzel lauded the Bundestag deputy for
"an excellent speech ... of the kind only seldom read or heard in
this nation with such courage for truth and clarity."
He
went on to assure Hohmann that "with your words, you are speaking
for the soul of the majority of our people."
At
a hastily-arranged news conference, the minister accused Guenzel of
damaging the image of the army with his "abstruse and
confused" views.
"I
don't think that you can call it an honorary dismissal when the
minister throws him out," a clearly angry Struck said.
The
59-year-old general has been heading the KSK, the elite unit which has
recently been active in Afghanistan.
Formed
in 1996, the 450-man KSK enjoy a reputation as Germany's toughest
soldiers.
The
soldiers are trained for special military and anti-terrorism missions,
such as rescuing civilians from war zones or pilots from behind enemy
lines.
The
CDU leadership has already formally admonished Hohmann and removed him
from a key parliamentary committee.
Hohmann's
comments came in a speech to constituents early last month but only
recently came to public attention.
"Jews
were active in great numbers in the leadership (of the Bolsheviks) as
well as in the Cheka (Soviet secret police) firing squads,"
Hohmann, 55, charged according to a transcript placed on a CDU website
but later removed.
"Thus
one could describe Jews with some justification as a Taetervolk (race
of perpetrators).
"That
may sound horrible," he said. "But it would follow the same
logic with which one describes the Germans as a race of
perpetrators."
Hohmann
later said his words had been taken out of context and that he had not
meant to deny the unique character of the Holocaust or describe Jews
as a race of perpetrators.
Outgoing
Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammed had come under fire from
Washington and several European capitals after charging that
"Jews rule the world by proxy."
