Ingo Hasselbach

Ingo Hasselbach (born July 14, 1967 in Berlin-Weißensee) is a German well known for being a former neo-Nazi. He is the author of the book Führer Ex: Memoirs of a Former Neo-Nazi (with Tom Reiss, also made into a movie directed by Winfried Bonengel), which has been translated into several languages. Furthermore he was co-founder of the German EXIT project, which helps people leave the neo-Nazi community. The project is modeled on a Swedish project with the same name.

Hasselbach's parents were two Communist-party loyal journalists. His mother was an editor at the ADN ("Allgemeiner Deutscher Nachrichtendienst", the former GDR's news service), while his father was employed at the broadcasting service in East Berlin. He was raised mostly with his grandparents. After graduating he began an apprenticeship to become a mason, but by 1985 he was adjudged because of rowdyism. His public appeal "The wall must fall!" brought him a prison sentence of nine months in 1987. In 1988 he joined the neo-Nazi community and was adjudged again for "subversive activities". After a first attempt to escape in August 1989 failed, he was detained again for three months until November 1989. Three days before the Berlin Wall fell a subsequent attempt to escape to West Germany succeeded.