The Greens criticised this decision. Curtailing the constitutional right to demonstrations would not be an adequate way of fighting right-wing radicalism. Manufacturing would get preferential treatment, tax-wise, which would be against the principle of equal treatment. The Federal Finance Court, however, said that this was voicing an opinion without legal significance. The whole country was in shock following allegations that 6-year old Joseph Abdulla from Saxony's Sebnitz was murdered.
Federal government urges a quick investigation.
If it actually was murder, this would have been one of the most cowardly and callous attacks of recent times, according to the Commissioner for Foreigners Beck. At the time, investigators had closed the file as they had assumed that it was a case of accidental death by drowning. Within the next five years, the EU intends to spend some 4.7 billion euros on recovery-assistance. France's head of state Chirac, who also is President of the European Council, at the same time asked for more efforts towards democracy and co-operation with the The Hague War Crimes Tribunal.