Thousands are on the move again in East Germany to mobilize against the policies of the federal government. The occasion this time: the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution also keeps an eye on the scene in the south-west – and the latest findings.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – According to the findings of the Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution, extremists from the right-wing extremist scene want to exploit or even initiate protests because of the consequences of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Stuttgart announced that the number of political gatherings could increase in the coming weeks in view of rising energy prices, but also other indirect effects of the war. Even extremists could be involved. “A possible recurring worsening of the pandemic situation can also contribute to this.” In East Germany, thousands demonstrated again on Monday against the federal government’s energy and Ukraine policies.
The experts speak of the phenomenon areas “right-wing extremism” and “delegitimization of the state relevant to the protection of the constitution”. The latter means, for example, the so-called “lateral thinkers” who protested against the Corona policy. According to the information, extremists from this spectrum repeatedly try to address concerns and fears in society and thus influence social discourse, spread extremist messages and ultimately win new supporters. The Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution regularly warns against this influence.
The “lateral thinking” movement currently has no controlling role in the protests, as the authority further announced. “However, this could change again if the “lateral thinking” initiatives are able to prominently occupy other topics beyond the topic of Corona.” With regard to the war in Ukraine, according to the assessment of the local Office for the Protection of the Constitution, this has not been successful.
However, from the point of view of the experts, the most recent solidarity demonstrations for the “lateral thinking” founder Michael Ballweg, who is currently in custody, in front of the prison in Stuttgart-Stammheim speak for a continued ability to mobilize. As was observed during the so-called walks in winter 2021/22, a decentralized organization of any protests is also conceivable.
The General State Archives in Karlsruhe want to discuss the state of right-wing extremism in Baden-Württemberg this Friday at a conference. The right-wing extremism documentation center of the state of Baden-Württemberg is located in the archive.
