BERLIN - "The Neo-Nazis have arrived in the heart of Berlin," said with a heavy heart a salesman at a clothing store near Alexanderplatz in the eastern part of the German capital.
Two months ago, a clothing line linked to Germany's extreme right opened a branch adjacent to his store, on Rosa Luxembourg Street.
Nothing in the clothing line's actions is accidental - not the name of the street, which is named after one of the icons of the German left, nor the street number, 18, which in numerology represents the initials of Adolf Hitler (AH - 18). "They have a lot of clients, and on Saturdays, two shaven-headed guards stand at the entrance," said that salesman. "Neo-Nazis from all over Berlin come here. They've ruined the entire street."
Over the last two months, the ongoing battle between the extreme right and the radical left has focused on the new clothing store in the heart of Berlin. The store, named Tönsberg, carries the brand "Thor Steinar" - a well-known label worn by members of the extreme right.
In the past, the company's clothing has been outlawed in Germany due to use of banned symbols. The chain was forced to change its logo several times, in a game of cat and mouse between the far right and Germany's rigid "de-Nazification" laws that forbid the use of Nazi symbols.
In the German state of Brandenburg it is forbidden to wear the brand of clothing sold at Tönsberg, but in Berlin, their sale is permitted. The opening of the new store has now moved the violent clash between left and right to the center of the capital.
The shop's display windows have been smashed in several places, evidence of the stones habitually thrown by left wing activists. The store is covered in paint stains from "paint bombs" utilized by anti-fascist activists during organized marches as well as secret operations.
Inside the store, Nordic motifs dominate the décor which consists of stuffed deer, pictures of wolves and Scandinavian landscapes. The chain views Norway as an object of admiration, having named the store after the oldest city in the Scandinavian country.
The clothes available at the store are colorful, expensive and display the company's logo very prominently. The saleswoman at the store, a woman with a fake tan and bleach blonde hair, refuses to speak with reporters.
The German court is currently debating whether or not to shut the store down. The chain signed a lease with the owner of the building for three years. The owner of the building has said that he was misled by the clothing company. "They told him that they were a fashion chain with stores all over Germany and hundreds of employees," said a salesman at a store nearby. The building owner has filed a request with the court to terminate the lease unilaterally, but the matter is currently under discussion. Meanwhile, the store continues to operate.
"There is no other choice," said a salesman at a nearby store. "In Germany we have to employ a policy of zero tolerance for signs of Nazism. We don't have the luxury that other countries have to allow complete freedom of expression. I can't wait until they get out of the area."
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