Not only in Brandenburg: The Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the Anastasia movement nationwide as a suspected right-wing extremist. What makes them dangerous in the eyes of the protection of the constitution?
The so-called Anastasia movement is now being observed nationwide as a suspected case by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution when asked by the German Press Agency.
The Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution had already announced on Wednesday in the state parliament in response to a question from a member of the Left that the movement in the state was classified as a suspected right-wing extremist. Various settlement projects are assigned to the network. A larger project is located in the Grabow district of the Brandenburg municipality of Heiligengrabe (Ostprignitz-Ruppin district).
Esoterically based return to nature
The movement refers to the novel character Anastasia by a contemporary Russian author. Its followers have committed themselves to an esoterically based return to nature, combined, among other things, with a reactionary understanding of society. The followers set up “family estates” and devote themselves to the principle of self-sufficiency.
The classification as a suspicious case enables the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to use intelligence resources. This includes, among other things, the observation and obtaining information about informants from the respective scene. “Parts of the Anastasia book series have elements relevant to the protection of the constitution that are incompatible with the free democratic basic order,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior in Potsdam. The book series contains a partly folkish, racist and anti-Semitic ideology.
Five “family estates” in Brandenburg
The Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution currently assigns five “family estates” to the Anastasia movement. “The number of people is in the lower to middle double-digit range,” explained the ministry spokesman. The group maintained connections in particular to Austria and Switzerland. The authority assessed the potential for violence as low.
The President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, told the dpa last December: “This issue of ethnic settlers is already worrying us, these groups are growing and growing.” The protection of the constitution sees a focus here, especially in some eastern German non-city states and in northern Germany.
The ideology
The ideology of these settlers is different. Haldenwang explained at the time: “We sometimes have clear right-wing extremist ideologies behind it. But we also have esoteric ideas behind it, like with the Anastasia movement. These movements often have an anti-Semitic background.” It is worrying that “these groups attach importance to bringing up their children in accordance with these ideologies, that some of them refuse to go to school and want to set up their own schools”.
Source: Stern
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