Faeser: With 13 measures against right-wing extremism

Stricter gun laws, closing down accounts and an “early detection unit”: Interior Minister Fiber has presented a package of measures against right-wing extremism. Some of the plans have been known for years.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to step up the fight against right-wing extremism. The SPD politician presented the 13-point package “Resolutely combat right-wing extremism – use the instruments of defensive democracy”. Right-wing extremism remains “the greatest threat” to the free basic order in Germany. The heads of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, and the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, were also present. However, the majority of the projects listed are already known and some have already been decided.

Right-wing extremists want to undermine trust in the stability and ability of the state to act, the paper says. They shared this goal with some foreign actors: “This is how autocratic states create artificial reach on the Internet with fake accounts, invent stories with AI-based images and feign credibility with copied newspaper websites.” Attempts are being made to manipulate opinion formation and political debate and to weaken democracy. An “early detection unit” should detect this in advance.

More rights for him defense of Constitution planned

There are also new plans for expanded powers for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to uncover financial sources of right-wing extremist networks. Through a change in the law, a potential threat should be sufficient to take action up to and including account closure. To date, financial investigators have only been granted these powers when sedition and violence-oriented efforts come from organizations or networks. Faeser announced the plans after the Potsdam meeting between right-wing extremists and AfD politicians became known.

In the paper, the Interior Ministry also calls for a change to the Basic Law in order to better protect the Federal Constitutional Court from the influence of enemies of democracy. Lawyers are also discussing this. Above all, it is about filling judge positions.

Also gun reform and Disciplinary law are topic

The catalog of measures also calls for, among other things, progress in the faltering gun law reform, and reference is made to the reform of disciplinary law that has already been decided. This is intended to make it easier to remove enemies of the constitution from the federal public service.

According to the plan, the entry and exit of right-wing extremists should be prevented as much as possible. In addition, research into the sources of money for right-wing networks should become easier. Local police and regulatory authorities such as the trade and restaurant supervision should – based on information from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution – prohibit right-wing extremist events if possible.

Many things were presented almost two years ago

The new projects are based on the “Action Plan Against Right-Wing Extremism,” which Faeser presented in March 2022. Some of them are already included in the previous paper, such as the plans to tighten gun laws.

It is necessary to “continue to pursue the course we have taken at full speed and at the same time react to new developments,” says the catalog of measures that has now been presented. And additional measures and options are needed “to get to the root of the danger of right-wing extremism.”