Right -wing extremism: Right -wing activities: a call for help from Brandenburg and the consequences

At the lantern pile near the school, a sticker of the right -wing extremist small party “third way” is emblazoned: “Germany the Germans”. Not far from this on a traffic sign Sticker of the “National Revolutionary Youth”. Everyone in Spremberg realizes how this has increased, says Mayor Christine Hernier. During their office hours, people were fitting over the right activities in their city, some in tears. You can’t just let that happen, says Hernier. And you should no longer be silent about that.

With a fire letter to strengthen right -wing extremism, the independent entrepreneur, since 2014 mayor of the small town with 22,000 people in the southeast of Brandenburg, has also been a stir nationwide for days. Now she has asked the city council for discussion. The majority of the citizens believe Hernier. But at the meeting of the 27 city councils, she also receives opposites.

From the ranks of the AfD there is the accusation that the mayor Schade is the image of the city. In general, the phenomenon described by Hernieren is a “marginal phenomenon”, says AfD MP Michael Hanko. “I think that was some stupid boys.” He focuses on the mayor: During the summer break, it is checked whether a description process is being sought.

Request claims to the mayor

Criticism of Hernier can be heard in the morning on the market square, where a small group has gathered more protesting. Some demand for hearing. Here, too, it is said that the mayor has harmed the reputation. “As a citizen of the city of Spremberg, I feel depressed in the right -wing radical rail with their appearances.”

This does not throw good light on the city, says one participant. She is not afraid of right -wing extremists, but of the traveling men. At schools it is not right -wing extremists that are the problem, but foreign young people. Another woman says the city is being pulled into the dirt. She has not yet heard that there was a right -wing extremist scene here.

Hernter is defending itself

In the city council, Hernier is defending itself. “Does the problem go away if we don’t name it?” Asks the mayor at the meeting. Criminal offenses such as anti -constitutional symbols and seditions cannot be accepted, one has to do it together. It shows pictures with right -wing smearings and posters. “Who thinks it’s good when we welcome guests to the train station?” Asks Hernier, who was last re -elected in 2021 with more than 60 percent.

Many in the city council signal support. If the right -wing youth culture has only settled, the city has right violent offenders in three, four or five years, says the city council and social worker Benny Stobinski (voter group “Die Spremberger”). “Then we have these baseball bats years.” It was right to make the development public, says Stobinski.

“Right -wing extremist landing”

Again and again constitutional protectors in Südbrandenburg always refer to a right -wing extremist scene. In Spremberg, attacks of right -wing extremists became known more than ten years ago.

Lorenz Blumenthaler from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation – its goal is to strengthen civil society and the containment of right -wing extremism, racism and anti -Semitism – sees “right -wing extremist landing from the right -wing extremist playbook”. What is meant is the occupation of rooms: cheap properties in the region affected by the coal phase -out are bought up, public spaces, for example, marked as a territory with posters and stickers, and young people addressed without many leisure options.

“Talks with the German youth”

The “third way” communicates this frankly on its homepage. “Talks with the German youth on site strengthen in our actions,” writes the right -wing extremist group, according to the constitutional protection. There are increased interest among young people.

Blumenthaler says that it is “a militant strictly hierarchically organized neo-Nazization” with a guide principle and Nazi ideology. It offers youthful ideology, martial arts, but also “culturally ethnic events” such as solstice celebrations. The group was established in an environment in which the AfD was also strong. In the Bundestag election in February, the AfD in Spremberg achieved 45.5 percent of the second votes.

The city is not an isolated case

It is clear to the expert that Spremberg is not an isolated case. The Brandenburg constitutional protection also sees that. According to its findings, the number of right -wing extremists in Brandenburg reached a maximum of its findings last year. 3,650 people were recorded – almost a fifth more than in the previous year. Four out of ten right -wing extremists are considered violent.

Blumenthaler sees Corona pandemic as an accelerator of development in the past five years: It is an existential crisis experience that has apparently legitimized the self-explanatory resistance against “which there”. Young people had experienced fainting in the Lockdown and at the same time had a lot of time for Tikkok and Co, where the AfD and other right groups were strong.

Looking for a recipe

But what should the development stop? “I like to admit that we have not found the right recipe so far,” said Mayor Hernier last on ZDF. “But it is certainly wrong to pretend that none of this would take place.” It hopes for knowledge and new starting points from constitutional protectors who have announced themselves for Friday for a conversation.