I read a lot about pogroms & mob violence in my (amateur) research of German history. Dismayed to see same patterns repeating, decades after their most horrifying manifestation. The anxieties & hatreds causing such incidents are eternal - so too is the lure of profit & profile.
Some of you will have heard me talk about the Rhineland Massacres - the head of a crusader army, Emicho of Leiningen, blooding his soldiers (and keeping them satisfied) by having them slaughter Jewish communities in Worms and Mainz during the spring of 1096. 
Across the German speaking world, there were outbreaks of violence during the Black Death. In 1349, a number of Jewish communities (and to a lesser extent, Roma and lepers) were attacked & murdered, after stories spread that they were poisoning the wells on the command of rabbis.
The use of the Jewish community as a scapegoat in medieval Germany was driven, among others things, by the perception that they had obtained their wealth unduly, and were given special protections. It was often seen as an act of 'righting wrongs' to attack them.
In 1613, city artisans and guildsmen attacked the Judengasse (or Jew's Alley) of Frankfurt, believing that they were afforded special protections by the emperor. The Jews were expelled and their houses stripped of any valuables that could be found.
Prior to the Nazis, there were pogroms in Germany as late as the 19th century. One example was the 'Hep-Hep Riots' against Ashkenazim, that spread across the German kingdoms in 1819.
Again, it was prompted by the belief that Jews were being given undue rights & privileges.
Again, it was prompted by the belief that Jews were being given undue rights & privileges.
Jews weren't the only targets of mob violence in the German speaking parts of Europe. Women, along with a smaller number of men, were the victims of four great witch crazes - Wuerzburg, Bamburg, Fulda and Koeln - and hundreds of other outbreaks of violence, directed at 'witches'.
While the belief in witches was very real, many cases of women being accused of witchcraft were instigated as a means of either seizing wealth (victims received the accused's goods) or getting rid of someone.
The trial of Katharina Kepler in 1619-1620 is a classic example.
The trial of Katharina Kepler in 1619-1620 is a classic example.
When the Nazis began their anti-Jewish, anti-Roma, anti-communist, anti-LGBT rhetoric, it was simply the latest manifestation of a tendency, centuries old, across the German speaking world.
The neo-Nazis and Far Right running through Chemnitz, assaulting asylum seekers and migrants, is just the latest manifestation of a rage, driven by greed, avarice and entitlement - the sense that others are getting a leg up at their expense.
Many of the rioters spoke about the (supposed) sexual molestation that begun the violence. This in itself is a trope - that 'our' women are being taken - that has not only manifested in German for centuries, but worldwide.
The mob is hard to combat. It's hard to stand up against it. It takes a very brave soul to speak directly into the face of rage. It's important that we do so.
It's just as important that we actively identify those who stoke the fear, who push stories that incite the rage.
It's just as important that we actively identify those who stoke the fear, who push stories that incite the rage.
There is always someone stoking the mob - fueling their anger by highlighting supposed injustice, making a call to action to attack the weaker, more vulnerable party. It's a lucrative path. It means attention, money, power.
They're the weak point.
They're the weak point.
Look for the 'megaphones' when violence like this breaks out. Look out to see who might profit from the situation. They're the ones that need taking down, if the mob is to be calmed. They're the ones who need to be met, in numbers, with the truth.
Obviously, none of this is restricted to Germany. It's been everywhere, since forever, and with the rise of social media it is only getting worse. It is imperative that if you care about marginalized groups, you band together as allies. You will need to do your own fact checking.
Stick together, learn how to spot bullshit news/information sources and have a plan to mitigate the damage if groups in your community come under attack. At this point, it just makes sense, if we're to get through this latest spasm of hate. FIN.
