Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - The Hessian Office for the Protection of the Constitution is preparing for possibly growing social protests in autumn and winter. The trigger could be the energy crisis as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine and possible new corona measures, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution announced on Wednesday in Wiesbaden. Hessenschau.de initially reported.
"In autumn/winter, our society faces multiple, potentially mutually reinforcing challenges that can lead to protests," explained the LfV. Possible losses, especially in the energy supply, could mean that the population would have to forgo the level of supply they are used to. At the same time, the corona pandemic could lead to new government measures such as compulsory masks or contact restrictions. Rising inflation could also fuel this protest mood.
The security authorities see themselves facing major challenges, the LfV explained. "For example, an increase in the militancy of the hard core of the protest movement and, in individual cases, acts of violence by individuals are to be expected." Acts of sabotage against critical infrastructures cannot be ruled out either.
"One goal of extremists is to intensify and exploit existing social conflicts and to "dock" onto corresponding social protests in order to undermine them," explained the constitutional protection officers. This has already been observed in previous protests against corona protection measures, for example by right-wing extremists and Reich citizens.
Russia will continue to try to exploit the domestic political challenges in Germany through propaganda and disinformation, the LfV said. "Aims of such activities are the delegitimization of the rule of law and the division of society." The addressee is in particular the population of Russian origin in Germany. According to the LfV, acts of sabotage both in cyberspace and in the real world are among the instruments used by Russian intelligence services.
