German Extremist Groups Warned of Growing Threat to Society
The German government has sounded the alarm over the rapid growth of right-wing extremist youth groups, warning of the danger they pose to society. In a response to a parliamentary inquiry, the Ministry of the Interior, led by Alexander Dobrindt, stated that the development of these groups is being closely monitored.
The ministry noted that in a short period of time, highly dynamic and mobilizable groups have emerged, which have been able to establish themselves as a hub for a new, action-oriented and ideologically less rigid target group within the right-wing extremist scene. Key figures are leading these groups, sometimes even interacting with one another across group boundaries, the ministry said.
The ministry is concerned that the targeted youth are often “not yet firmly rooted in their value system” and are therefore particularly vulnerable and “more susceptible to accepting and identifying with propagandistic and extremist ideologies.” The danger is that right-wing extremist ideas will be sown and solidified in young people, the ministry warned.
The ministry also commented on the “Last Defense Wave” group, which was the subject of a federal prosecution on Wednesday and had several people arrested on suspicion of terrorism. The group, which has around two-digit membership, is part of the action-oriented and violent right-wing extremist spectrum, the ministry said. It focuses on enemy images such as the Antifa and the LGBTQ community, which serve as a projection screen for “violent actions.”
Other groups, such as “Jung & Stark” “Deutsche Jugend Voran” and “Deutsche Jugend Zuerst” also came under scrutiny, with the ministry providing membership numbers in the low to mid three digits, low two digits and mid two digits, respectively. These groups, along with the “Elbland Revolt” have been the subject of 11 meetings at the Joint Extremism and Terrorism Prevention Center (GETZ) since mid-September.
Left Party MP Ferat Kocak, who submitted the inquiry, stated that the young neo-Nazi groups are “only the tip of the iceberg of the societal shift to the right.” They demonstrate “once again how great the threat from the right is and how much our queer and migrant neighborhoods need to be protected” Kocak said. The Left Party will continue to exert pressure on the government and security authorities to take a more decisive stance against right-wing structures and leaders, he added.