The Rise of Mongolian Neo-Nazis

Nazism has found an unlikely home in Mongolia, where ultra-nationalist groups such as Tsagaan Khass, or White Swastika, are initiating attacks on Chinese locals in a bid for ethnic purity. “Adolf Hitler was someone we respect. He taught us how to preserve national identity,” said Tsagaan Khass’ 41-year-old co-founder, who calls himself Big Brother. The group uses the “Sieg heil” Nazi salute, the swastika, and various other Nazi symbols to illustrate their cause. It’s an especially startling development since, under Hitler, Soviet prisoners of war who appeared Mongolian were executed. Though violence in the region is nothing new, with the U.S. State Department warning travelers about increased assaults on interracial couples in recent years, neo-Nazism in Mongolia is growing rapidly. “They are getting more support from the public,” said Enkhjargal Davaasuren, director of the National Center Against Violence, who cited a YouTube video posted last year showing a man violently shaving a woman's long hair. The extremist movement has even spread to nightlife, as anti-Chinese hip hop tracks play at nightclubs at the country.