Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - According to the intelligence of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the number of extremists in Hesse rose for the fourth time in a row last year. The Hessian constitutional protection report 2021 published on Monday counts 13,680 people, including right-wing and left-wing extremists as well as Islamists. Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU) spoke of a worrying development. The greatest threat continues to be right-wing extremism, said Beuth in Wiesbaden.
The Russian attack on Ukraine has further aggravated the security situation. In view of possible gas bottlenecks, it is to be expected that extremists will try to influence public discourse in line with their ideology. "Enemies of the constitution and increasingly also state actors from abroad are deliberately trying to divide our society and destabilize our state," said Beuth.
The President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Robert Schäfer, also announced that the observation of the Hessian AfD would begin in the course of the nationwide measures. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Hesse has followed the approach of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which has classified the AfD as an object of observation. Findings would be forwarded to the Federal Office. Intelligence means are also permitted. "When monitoring, it will be necessary to look closely at how the actual indications of a right-wing extremist ideology and corresponding efforts are developing," said Schäfer.
