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German intelligence agency puts part of far-right AfD under surveillance German intelligence agency puts part of far-right AfD under surveillance
(about 1 hour later)
Agency chief says far-right terrorism and extremism are biggest danger to democracyAgency chief says far-right terrorism and extremism are biggest danger to democracy
The chief of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has described far-right terrorism and extremism as the biggest danger facing democracy in Germany, as his agency put part of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) under formal surveillance.The chief of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has described far-right terrorism and extremism as the biggest danger facing democracy in Germany, as his agency put part of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) under formal surveillance.
The most radical rightwingers in the country number 32,000, said Thomas Haldenwang, adding that 13,000 are considered potentially violent. The most radical rightwingers in the country numbered 32,000, said Thomas Haldenwang, adding that 13,000 were considered potentially violent.
“Rightwing extremism and rightwing terrorism are currently the biggest danger for democracy in Germany,” he said at a press conference.“Rightwing extremism and rightwing terrorism are currently the biggest danger for democracy in Germany,” he said at a press conference.
His agency also placed under formal surveillance the far-right AfD party’s most radical faction, Der Flügel (The Wing), which now has about 7,000 members. His agency has placed under formal surveillance the AfD’s most radical faction, Der Flügel (The Wing). While there are no formal membership lists, Der Flügel is estimated to have about 7,000 followers, making up a fifth of the AfD’s membership.
Founded in 2013, the AfD has grown and shifted further right over the last seven years. Railing against the decision in 2015 by the chancellor, Angela Merkel, to keep Germany’s borders open to refugees, the AfD has scooped up a significant number of votes from those unhappy with the government’s migration policy. It is now the largest opposition group in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament. Its influence in the party, however, goes beyond that, with its radically nationalist demands helping to shape the party’s agenda.
Der Flügel was founded by the far-right firebrand Björn Höcke, who has sparked outrage with statements on Germany’s Nazi past. Höcke has called Berlin’s Holocaust monument a “memorial of shame” and urged a “180-degree shift” in the country’s culture of remembrance. Reclassifying the group will make it easier for Germany’s spy agency to authorise wiretaps or make targeted use of police informants. Founded in 2013 in opposition to eurozone bailouts for Greece, the AfD has grown and shifted further right over the last seven years, shedding several leaders along the way.
Haldenwang said security officials believed Der Flügel violated “characteristic features of the free democratic basic order, human dignity, democracy and the rule of law”. Railing against the decision in 2015 by the chancellor, Angela Merkel, to keep Germany’s borders open to refugees, the AfD has scooped up a significant number of votes from those unhappy with the government’s immigration policy. It is currently the largest opposition group in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, and has significant presence in state parliaments especially in the east.
Recent attacks in Germany meant it was more important than ever to monitor groups that may be inciting hatred, he added. Der Flügel was founded by the far-right firebrand Björn Höcke, an AfD politician in the eastern state of Thuringia who has provoked outrage with statements on Germany’s Nazi past. Höcke has called Berlin’s Holocaust monument a “memorial of shame” and urged a “180-degree shift” in the country’s culture of remembrance.
A gunman with apparent far-right beliefs killed nine people at a shisha bar and a cafe in the city of Hanau in February, while two people were killed in an attack targeting a synagogue in Halle in October. Responding to a question at a press conference on Thursday, Haldenwang said his agency believed Höcke, using the pseudonym “Landolf Ladig”, wrote several articles for two magazines published by a militant neo-Nazi in 2011 to 2012.
In June, pro-immigration politician Walter Lübcke was found dead at his home in the state of Hesse, with a far-right sympathiser confessing to the attack. As well as Höcke, Germany’s spy chief also singled out Andreas Kalbitz, the AfD’s leader in the eastern state of Brandenburg. Last year Kalbitz was revealed as one of 14 German neo-Nazis who had travelled to Athens in January 2007 for a rally organised by the Patriotic Alliance, a short-lived ultranationalist party formed by members of Golden Dawn.
Haldenwang said security officials believed Der Flügel violated “characteristic features of the free democratic basic order, human dignity, democracy and the rule of law”. Referring to Höcke and Kalbitz, he said: “Both people are rightwing extremists.”
Recent attacks in Germany meant it was more important than ever to monitor groups that might be inciting hatred, he said.
A gunman with racist beliefs killed nine people at a shisha bar in the city of Hanau in February, while two people were killed in an attack targeting a synagogue in Halle in October. In June, the pro-immigration politician Walter Lübcke was found dead at his home in the state of Hesse, with a far-right sympathiser confessing to the attack.
The AfD responded to Haldenwang’s announcement by describing it as an attempt to silence the party. “This is a politically motivated, anti-AfD, convoluted act,” said Jörg Meuthen, a spokesman for the party.
“The security agency has made a mistake with its allegations,” the party said in a statement on Wednesday.