They have access to highly sensitive data, sometimes also to weapons or ammunition – and are to be classified as enemies of the constitution. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution noticed 327 employees of German security authorities at federal and state level as opponents of the basic democratic order. In the vast majority of cases, concrete indications of right-wing extremist ideas or personal contacts with the scene of the so-called Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter were found.
“Recent incidents like this disturb us deeply,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) at the presentation of the second situation report on right-wing extremists in security agencies on Friday in Berlin. “We must not allow our democratic constitutional state to be sabotaged from within.”
After chat groups became known in several state police forces in 2020, in which pictures of Hitler and racist ideas were exchanged, the then Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) approved an initial situation report on extremism in security authorities. Seehofer’s successor Faeser is now continuing it. A total of 860 cases were checked between July 2018 and July 2021. In 38 percent, actual indications of efforts against the basic democratic order were found.
And it often didn’t stop at suspicion. Compared to 2020, there are now “significantly” more cases in which an initial suspicion has become a proven case of right-wing extremism, said the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang. However, no evidence was found of a nationwide network of right-wing extremist officials.
A number of cases may still be undiscovered
83 right-wing extremists were identified in the military counter-intelligence service, which includes around 242,000 soldiers of the Bundeswehr. 18 right-wing extremists were found in the federal police force with a good 54,000 employees. According to the report, there were four right-wing extremist employees at customs, two at the Federal Criminal Police Office, and one employee each at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Intelligence Service and the Bundestag police. In addition, there are a total of 30 suspected cases and proven cases of extremism in the federal security agencies, which are attributed to “Reich citizens” and “self-government”. This scene denies the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany and rejects its institutions.
Faeser emphasized that the vast majority of the almost five million public sector employees are firmly rooted in the constitution. In order to protect them from false suspicions, relentless action must be taken against extremists in the security apparatus. “We will remove enemies of the constitution from the public service more quickly than before,” announced the minister. Faeser wants to change the disciplinary law by the end of the year to speed up the dismissal of extremist officers. An action plan against right-wing extremism had already been announced for Easter, but initially remained vague.
The total number of audit cases in the second management report is nine times higher than in 2020, and there were three times as many indications of extremism. The increase also has statistical reasons. The Ministry of Defense was included for the first time. In federal authorities, 82 percent of the people who became conspicuous showed connections to right-wing extremism, in state authorities 97 percent.
However, a number of cases could still be undiscovered, also because colleagues do not want to burden each other. Investigations were often based on tips from department heads. The willingness to cooperate is increasing here, but it is still significantly lower in state authorities than in federal authorities, said President Haldenwang for the protection of the constitution. The management report is not based solely on voluntary statements. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution also passed on its own findings to the authorities.