Several disturbing developments in 1997 indicate the existence of this potential. Most alarming was the increase in racist activities in Germany, especially in the eastern part of the country. In recent years the German authorities have shown determination, with some impressive results, in the struggle against extreme right and neo-Nazi groups in Germany and dozens of them were made illegal. Many in Germany and abroad were relieved in the wake of these steps and by the fact that extreme right parties such as the Republikaner and the Deutsche Volksunion were unsuccessful in their efforts to become significant political factors. However, the brutal racist violence in eastern Germany, the increase of anti-Semitic activities, the creation of "free zones" - free of foreigners -- as well as the adoption of Nazi-like behavior and symbols by some of the youth and recent revelations about neo-Nazis in the German army, prove not only that the Nazi legacy still exists, but even that it has been strengthened among some components of German society. This development must be taken into consideration, especially in view of the increase of Jewish immigration from Russia to Germany.

Numerous extreme right-wing groups continued to operate illegally, not only in Germany but in other West European countries as well, having found ways of avoiding confrontation with the authorities, such as creating small, informal, independent groups. In addition, they continued to secure their ties internationally. In Denmark, for example, extreme rightists, probably under the direction of the British terrorist group Combat 18, sent letter bombs to known left-wing politicians and other figures in the UK.

Of no less concern is the fact that the political influence of extreme right populist parties in Western Europe continued to grow. In Austria, J?rg Haider enjoys the support of one-third of the population. Recently, he declared his goal of becoming the next chancellor. In France, for the first time, prominent politicians from the conservative right camp openly suggested cooperation with local candidates of the Front National (FN). It should be noted that the FN, led by Jean-Marie Le Pen, has become a model for extreme nationalist and right-wing anti-Semitic parties not only in Western Europe but also in Eastern Europe. In 1997 the links between the FN and extreme right-wing parties throughout Europe were strengthened considerably.

Another significant trend, noted previously, but now more prominent, is the positive attitude of extreme right-wing groups toward the struggle of extremist Islamic groups against Israel. Historically, Zionism, and Israel as the source of all evil, has played a central role in the ideology and propaganda of the extreme left. However, recently the term Zionist, and especially "Zionist world domination," as equivalent to "Jewish world domination," appears more frequently in extreme right-wing ideology and propaganda. In Denmark, for example, during the annual march commemorating the death of Rudolf Hess, neo-Nazis carried placards with the slogan "The Zionists killed Rudolf Hess." In Switzerland, during the centennial events of the first Zionist congress, extreme right elements distributed anti-Zionist leaflets blaming the Zionists for extorting money from Switzerland.

The data collected during 1997 in Western Europe indicate that Holocaust deniers have persisted in their activities. Although laws against Holocaust denial have been adopted in several countries in Western Europe, Holocaust denial material is distributed throughout the continent. In fact, it could be said that despite the extensive efforts of Jewish organizations, anti-fascist groups and governmental bodies to fight the deniers, Holocaust denial has become rooted in Europe as an integral part of the extreme right weltanschauung.

The Holocaust is presented as a Zionist tool not only by the extreme left and by anti-Israel Arab propaganda, but also by the extreme right. For example, Roger Garaudy's anti-Zionist book The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics, which also distorts the Holocaust, was originally published in France by the radical left and was then translated and published in Italy by the extreme right. Garaudy was also invited to Italy by extreme right elements to lecture on his thesis.

The persistence of Holocaust deniers, despite the laws, was evident when the principals of 21 schools in Paris received texts of the French Holocaust deniers Robert Faurisson and Garaudy, as well as material from the Swedish anti-Semitic and Holocaust denying Radio Islam. In Denmark, for the first time, a Holocaust denier, Christian Lindtner, an historian of religion and science, succeeded in publishing an article distorting the Holocaust in the Danish mainstream press.