Staff members at the center, called Wissenschafts-zentrum Berlin fr Sozial- forschung (WZB)--a research institution studying economics, labor market development, and environmental protection policy--began composing the petition last September, following three days of neo-Nazi rioting in the East German town of Rostock.
Over the next three months, the institute sent fax and electronic mail transmissions to more than 500 scientific institutions, research universities, and political parties throughout Germany. More than half of WZB's 300 staffers and scientists participated in drafting the document. Though the petition's organizers say the politicians to this point are totally ignoring them, a large number of scientists and academicians have pledged their support.
"In the media, both in and out of Germany, these right-wing, fascist groups received a lot of attention," says Christoph Albrecht, the deputy director of the labor market and employment division of WZB and a petition signer. "We distributed the petition to our colleagues ...
