Zachary Roth June 10, 2009, 4:52 PM

Is there a significance to the fact that James Von Brunn allegedly carried out this shooting at the Holocaust Museum at the age of 88?

Eighty-eight is a number with particular significance in Neo-Nazi circles. The eighth letter of the alphabet is ‘H’, so 88 equates to HH, or “Heil Hitler.” The German Neo-Nazi rock group Landser has a song called “88 Rock Band.

The lyrics:

White Power! They call me nazi and I am proud about They call me racist and I shout it out loud I am proud of my race, proud of my land White brothers and sisters Come and raise your hand

We are an 88 Rock ‘n’ Roll Band
We are an 88 Rock ‘n’ Roll Band
We are an 88 Rock ‘n’ Roll Band
and we play for the fallen for race and land

Holocaust Museum shooting, James von Brunn, Right-wing extremism