"Have to guard gas terminals": Faeser sees a risk of attacks on energy infrastructure

Interior Minister Faeser sees the German energy supply threatened from several sides: from outside by Russia and internally by extremists.

"Have to guard gas terminals": Faeser sees a risk of attacks on energy infrastructure

Interior Minister Faeser sees the German energy supply threatened from several sides: from outside by Russia and internally by extremists. She warns of possible attacks and urges coordinated action to protect the new liquid gas terminals, for example.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has warned of attacks on energy infrastructure in Germany. "We have to be prepared against possible attacks on gas terminals and other critical infrastructure," said the SPD politician to the "Bild" newspaper. Against the background of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, she referred to protection against cyber attacks.

But there would also be new tasks: "We have to control the movements of Russian ships in the North and Baltic Seas and guard the new liquid gas terminals." In the interview, the minister highlighted other challenges: "And in addition to the Russian threat, it is also about fighting extremism with all your might: We are alarmed by the attempts by left-wing extremists to instrumentalize climate protests. We take that very seriously. At the On the other hand, of course, we continue to see the danger from the right."

Representatives of security authorities had repeatedly expressed concern that extremists could try to exploit protests for their own purposes, such as Reichsbürger in the corona pandemic. Brandenburg's head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jörg Müller, warned that extremists could take advantage of the energy crisis and high inflation.

But there are also warnings about infiltrating organizations. Hamburg's head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Torsten Voss, said recently that he was concerned about a change in strategy in the post-autonomous scene, which was trying to sneak into organizations on widely discussed issues. "There is the violence-oriented interventionist left in the front line, which exploits popular topics such as sea rescue, commitment to environmental destruction, right-wing extremism or high rents for themselves."

Thousands of climate activists demonstrated in Hamburg over the weekend to draw attention to the consequences of climate change. The protest was directed, among other things, against the planned liquefied natural gas terminals. In the course of the demonstrations, there were also road and rail blockades. Before that there was a protest camp lasting several days in the Hanseatic city. More than 30 groups were involved, including Fridays for Future Hamburg, the Green Youth Hamburg, but also the Interventionist Left.