National Socialism Association


The National Socialism Association is a far-right political organization founded in Taiwan in September 2006 by Hsu Na-chi, at the time a 22-year-old female political science graduate of Soochow University. It is headquartered in Taipei.

History

In an interview with Apple Daily on 10 March 2007, Hsu claimed that she started researching the organization's ideology while she was studying in university. She founded the NSA because she believed in Nazism and was unhappy with the constant political struggle between the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party. The organization was registered as a public organization under Taiwanese law in September 2006. The Taiwanese government indicated that the establishment and existence of the NSA are protected by the country's constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and organization.
The NSA's first national meeting among members was held on 17 March 2007 in Taichung.

Membership

Initially, the NSA had 19 members. In March 2007, the NSA's official website claimed that the NSA had more than 760 members. After exposure in major media, the NSA claimed that membership had risen to over 1,400. However in 2007, the core membership remained around 20.

Ideology

The NSA idolizes Adolf Hitler and often uses the slogan "Long live Hitler!" while imitating the Nazi salute. This has brought condemnation from various Jewish human rights groups, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who condemned the NSA on 13 March 2007 for championing Hitler and blaming democracy for Taiwan's "social unrest".
Co-founder Chao Lahn denied the NSA was racist or antisemitic, stating that the group's goal was "to foster greater nationalism in Taiwan". Emile Sheng, a municipal official in Taipei, commented on the creation of the NSA, saying, "People here don't really understand what Nazism is. They're not really racist or antisemitic. They don't even know what it means."