Concerned about possible espionage
The protection of the constitution brings scrutiny of politicians into play
February 15, 2024, 11:36 a.m
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The head of the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution advocates tougher measures to protect against espionage. He is considering a security check for politicians “who want to be active in particularly sensitive areas.”
The head of the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution has spoken out in favor of precautions to protect secret information out of concern about possible espionage from abroad. “It would be worth considering, for example, the measure of subjecting those elected officials who want to work in particularly sensitive areas to a security check,” said Stephan Kramer to the “Handelsblatt”. The reason is also the classification of the AfD youth organization Junge Alternative (JA) as definitely right-wing extremist.
There could therefore be a review for MPs who belong to the Defense Committee, the Parliamentary Control Panel for Control of the Secret Services or the so-called G10 Commission.
“This must be regulated by law and, in my opinion, is more than appropriate given the security interests of the Federal Republic of Germany that are worth protecting,” Kramer told the “Handelsblatt”. A review would therefore be conceivable for members of the Bundestag and members of the state parliaments.
Several members of the Bundestag had recently expressed concerns about JA chairman Hannes Gnauck remaining on the Defense Committee. With a view to a possible risk of foreign espionage, Kramer said: “The relationships and contacts of individual AfD members, including elected officials, with Russia are sufficiently public knowledge.” Russian narratives would also be adopted and spread one-on-one in Germany.
Parties also worried
A few days ago, politicians from various parties warned against the infiltration of democratic institutions and espionage by AfD members. “For the AfD, the alternative for Germany is autocratic Russia,” explained Green Party politician Konstantin von Notz. “It is to be feared that the proximity of AfD representatives to dictatorships such as Russia, China, Syria and North Korea is not just ideological.”
MPs are entitled to handle information that requires confidentiality even without security checks, explained von Notz, who is deputy parliamentary group leader and chairman of the Parliamentary Control Committee. This not only affects the Defense Committee, but also other committees and committees of the Bundestag – “also with regard to possible espionage activity.
The CDU defense politician Roderich Kiesewetter explained that the AfD acts “in Germany as an extended arm of Russia” and as an instrument of hybrid warfare. “It cannot be ruled out that MPs or their staff who have access to security-related information will also pass on such information.”