“It’s a shame”
The head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution calls for a clear stance against extremism
January 11, 2024, 9:38 a.m
The AfD is gaining strength, protests are being infiltrated by extremists and, according to the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, there is too little resistance among the population. He sees a threat to democracy, but it is not being taken seriously. An appeal follows.
The President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is concerned because, in his opinion, many Germans do not take threats to democracy seriously enough. Democracy in Germany is under greater threat than is perceived by the middle of society, Thomas Haldenwang told the ARD political magazine “Kontraste”. This is evident in an indifference “towards the rise of certain parties”, but also in the way anti-Semitism is dealt with.
The middle of society in Germany seems to have become very comfortable for him. People have settled into a comfortable private life and are “not sufficiently aware of how serious the threats to our democracy have now become.” He would like the “silent majority” to wake up “and finally take a clear position against extremism in Germany.” He pointed out that security authorities could only take limited action against the threats to democracy.
Anti-Semitism in Germany has reached a new dimension, both quantitatively and qualitatively, Haldenwang continued. In the entire year of 2022, more than 2,600 anti-Semitic crimes were registered in Germany. In the past three months, since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, there have already been significantly more than 1,200 anti-Semitic crimes, said the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. “It’s a disgrace, it’s shameful how openly anti-Semitism is now being shown in the country from which the Holocaust began.”