Pogromly: Neo-Nazis' Anti-Semitic Version of Monopoly
Members of a neo-Nazi cell alleged to have killed at least 10 people in Germany between 2000 and 2006 had distributed an anti-Semitic version of the popular board game Monopoly called Pogromly, in which the playing field constitutes of Nazi symbols including a swastika, a portrait of Hitler and four concentration camps, German authorities said.
Monopoly, based on the economic concept of market domination by a single entity, was redesigned as Pogromly and sold for 100 deutschemarks ($80) by the neo-Nazi cell to finance their extremist activities since 1997, a report published Monday in a German newspaper stated.
The photos of the game, released by the state office of the German domestic intelligence agency, show a giant swastika as a start box, evil-looking Jews, concentration camps replacing train stations, portraits of Hitler and burning Israeli flags.
Apparently, the German authorities have been aware of the game since 1998, when they first seized copies of Pogromly designed by Uwe Mundlos, Uwe Böhnhardt and Beate Zschäpe - the three suspects in the Bosphorus serial murders, aka Döner murders. Copies of Pogromly were found along with four pipe bombs in an underground search to uncover the bomb-making operation.
The victims of the Bosphorus murders were predominantly immigrants of Turkish or Greek origin and owned small businesses in Germany. Most of the victims were shot dead in broad daylight, with CZ 83, a Czechoslovakian military pistol.
Böhnhardt and Mundlos were found dead by the police after they robbed a bank on Nov. 4, in an apparent suicide. Zschäpe, the third suspect, surrendered on Nov. 11 and is facing charges of murder, attempted murder, arson and belonging to a terrorist organization.
Despite having been accused of links to neo-Nazi activism and the series of immigrant murders, the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) remains a legal political organization promoting extreme-right propaganda.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to eradicate neo-Nazi terrorism on Nov. 14, saying that, We're seeing something inconceivable -- we suspect right-wing extremists are responsible for horrible acts of violence, for right-wing terror.
It's a disgrace and mortifying for Germany and we'll do everything we can to get to the bottom of this. We owe that to the victims, Merkel said.
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