A Paris court has decided to extradite the anti-fascist Gino to Germany. From there he could be extradited to Hungary. The anti-fascists from the Budapest complex should be punished for militant anti-fascism - but not with us! – A comment by Eduard Dunker.

On Wednesday, the Paris Court of Cassation voted to extradite the anti-fascist Ginos. Gino had to leave for Germany within 10 days, where he would be arrested immediately. He is a defendant in the so-called Budapest complex and is said to have taken part in attacks against neo-Nazis in Hungary in February 2023.

The verdict was followed by a flood of declarations of solidarity from all over Europe. There were spontaneous demonstrations in Berlin and Paris. How the situation will develop depends heavily on whether Gino, who is still at large at the time, turns himself in to the German authorities.

Paris court decides: Gino should be extradited

As Gino himself says in a statement, the verdict comes as no surprise. It isobviously politically motivated.After Hungary's extraditionGinos from Finlandhad applied for, he went to France. A request from Hungary for extradition was initially rejected because the country's prisons are generally considered inhumane. Imprisonment in Hungary means moldy food, cockroaches in the cell and solitary confinement - which is also known as white torture.

The anti-fascist non-binary person Maja T., who is also accused in the Budapest complex, is currently feeling all of this. After being arrested in Berlin, Maja was essentially kidnapped by the authorities and illegally extradited to Hungary. In doing so, the German authorities knowingly broke their own law. In Hungary, Maja was sentenced to eight years in prison in the spring. Also on Wednesday, a Hungarian court ruled on the appeal in Maja's case. The new result is harsher than expected with seven years in prison.

Anti-fascist Maja sentenced to seven years in prison in Hungary

Germany is also the trigger for Gino's extradition. The alleged reason: Gino is said to have also attacked German neo-Nazis. Gino himself grew up in Italy, but only has Albanian citizenship. After a trial and imprisonment in Germany, there would be a risk of extradition to Hungary - this time even legally. The French judges didn't care much, despite the initial verdict because of the inhumane conditions. The new verdict is: extradition.

The German anti-antifa state

At first glance, it doesn't seem entirely clear why the Federal Republic of Germany has succumbed to such paranoia. There are direct overlaps between the defendants in the Budapest complex and the German anti-fascist movement. One of these defendants is the Nuremberg anti-fascist Zaid. He was toofled to Franceto avoid possible extradition to Hungary. He does not have German citizenship and is therefore at high risk of ending up in Hungary's prisons. His extradition to Germany is still being negotiated and the trial has been postponed several times.

Anti-fascist Zaid flees to France to avoid extradition to Hungary

Regardless of the involvement of German anti-fascists, the Federal Republic of Germany has an interest in criminalizing them. Neither fascism nor the fight against it stops at national borders. Accordingly, the repression against the anti-fascist movement is international in nature.

Gino himself classifies the extradition as a continuation of current policy: "It is another example of the criminalization of the anti-fascist struggle, which is spreading from America to Europe. Today's convictions of Maja and Gabriele in Budapest, as well as the situation of the other comrades who were arrested and accused in this case, are related to the current climate of persecution of anti-fascists."

Against a quiet hinterland

The German state – like the governments in the USA and Hungary – is concerned with ensuring internal stability and that of its dependent countries. In the ongoing arms race for a new major war, one of the most decisive factors in war, alongside the number of weapon systems, is the internal stability of a society. A stability that cannot allow any anti-fascist and anti-militarist opposition.

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Fascism, on the other hand, fits well into the picture with its pronounced nationalism, in which it denies the increasingly open class differences between rich and poor. All forces that have decided not only to watch the growth of this plague, but also to literally take the fight for the streets into their own hands, represent a real danger. The state is therefore concerned with combating the idea that it is legitimate to also fight militantly against the prevailing conditions.

For all anti-fascists in Germany, the impending extradition of Gino is a clear sign to move closer together. The repression against anti-fascists of all origins is becoming harsher. There needs to be a recognition of the fact that we are united by the fight against repression and for the legitimacy of militant anti-fascism. In the coming period this means showing solidarity with Gino, Zaid, Maja and all other persecuted anti-fascists!

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