When it comes to extremism in Saxony, there is no all-clear in sight. Democracy is not only threatened by well-known structures, but also by new players, says the Minister of the Interior.
Dresden (dpa / sn) - The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony continues to rate right-wing extremism as the greatest danger to society. In the 2021 annual report, the scene is certified as having a "high speed of reaction and mobilization". In addition, further radicalization can be observed, said the head of the authorities, Dirk-Martin Christian, on Tuesday in Dresden. "Right-wing extremists are increasingly reinforcing each other's convictions in closed chat groups on social media and developing fantasies of revolution and conspiracies there," says the report. In addition, the inhibition threshold to use violence decreases.
The number of right-wing extremists in Saxony is given in the report as 4,350, which is below the previous year's figure of 4,800. The decline is attributed to the fact that the "wing" in the AfD can no longer be included in the report after a court ruling. With the "Free Saxony" and Pegida, however, two other fields of activity for the protection of the constitution in Saxony were added.
The "Free Saxony" are characterized as an organized group of neo-Nazis, NPD officials and other relatives and sympathizers. In the case of Pegida, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution sees, among other things, an attempt to penetrate ever deeper into mainstream society with extreme positions and to attack Muslims.
In the previous year, 1,900 people were assigned to the scene of Reich citizens and self-government - about 850 more than in 2020. This increase should be viewed primarily in connection with the corona pandemic. The corona restrictions have given conspiracy theorists, often including Reich citizens, a framework for living out their crude theories and for spreading them, especially on social media, it said.
An increasing radicalization is also attested to in the left-wing extremist scene. Within a year, their potential increased from around 800 to 850 people. Locally, the scene is mainly limited to Leipzig and Dresden. "Leipzig is establishing itself as a 'Mecca' for left-wing extremists from all over Germany. As Interior Minister, I view this development, which is generally accompanied by a high level of violence, with great concern," said Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU). In the big cities, three quarters of all crimes are committed with a left-wing extremist background. This is mainly about damage to property.
Schuster also touched on a new subject of investigation by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution - people who systematically denigrate the state and try to undermine the population's trust in it. In the report, this is called "delegitimization of the state". According to the minister, there is no justification for scorning the state on a large scale, defaming politicians, spreading the crudest conspiracy theories and making oneself the henchman of right-wing extremists and citizens of the Reich. This development is worrying.
According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Islamists continue to pose a high abstract threat. According to the authorities, their potential is at a low level in a nationwide comparison with 450 people - including around 270 Salafists. "The strategists are specifically focusing on the vulnerability of a free and liberal society. Times of crisis can be a welcome occasion for them. The security authorities will therefore remain particularly vigilant in this area of the phenomenon," emphasized Christian.
