German far right tells black politician to "head home."

German far right tells black politician to "head home."

HILDBURGHAUSEN, GERMANY (AUGUST 12, 2009) REUTERS - Germany's far-right NPD party on Tuesday told a black politician who appeared in regional election ads to head home, calling on its members to bring the message to him personally.
The National Democratic Party said in a statement that it wished the 45-year-old Zeca Schall, who is working on the conservatives' state parliamentary campaign in the eastern state of Thuringia, a "good trip home".

"Today he is no longer needed, so we want to encourage him directly to head home to Angola," the NPD said, adding that the region should "remain German", and that Schall's job should be filled by a local.

German media described Schall as a 45-year-old Angola-born integration specialist for Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU) who has lived in Thuringia since 1988.

"I have been politically active for many years and what happened now and all of a sudden I think has to do with the NPD not being present for quite a while," Schall said.

"This is why they organised this campaign against me, to make it on television. This campaign against me is a campaign against myself and the entire CDU of Thuringia and in Germany overall and against other democratic parties in Hildburghausen, Thuringia and in Germany," Schall said, adding he was not worried about his personal safety.

"I have police protection at my home and on the campaign trail," Schall said.

The CDU on Tuesday defended Schall, whose photo it had placed alongside its candidates on campaign billboards for a vote on August 30.

The NPD said it would try to meet Schall in public on Wednesday. The far-right party wants to end parliamentary democracy and is described by Germany's domestic intelligence agency as racist, anti-Semitic and revisionist.

It has around 7,000 members and also has seats in the state parliament of the eastern region of Saxony.