White Nationalist David Duke Reportedly Arrested at Event in Germany

Updated Nov. 28

American white supremacist David Duke was reportedly arrested in Cologne, Germany, according to his official Web site.

Duke -- a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, Louisiana state legislator, and chronic presidential candidate -- has been released but is still in Germany and will face unspecified charges, according to a post on his Web site.

In a statement, Duke said the arrest was "a gross twisting of travel laws in a blatant attempt by the government to prevent a private and peaceful gathering of about a 100 German citizens eager to hear my message of heritage and freedom."

Duke said he would remain in Germany to fight the charges against him, but it was not clear from the statement whether that was his choice or a requirement of the authorities there. He also complained about the costs of fighting the case.

The arrest came on Nov. 25, shortly before Duke was schedule to speak to a group of people described as "German nationalists," according to Duke's site. According to the site, he was detained as an "undesirable foreigner."

According to a German nationalist blog cited by Duke's Web site, the audience for the event consisted of about 60 people. In his statement, Duke claimed 100 people were in attendance.

The arrest comes in the wake of a significant public scandal in Germany over the authorities' failure to arrest a group of Neo-Nazis who murdered at least 10 foreigners over the course of more than a decade. The group is also suspected of carrying out a 2004 bombing in Cologne.

Labels: David-Duke, Germany, Ku-Klux-Klan, National-Socialist-Underground, Neo-Nazis, white-supremacists

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