There are only 60,000 people classified as “right-wing extremists” in Germany, the country’s controversial domestic intelligence agency has revealed.
The number marks an increase of 8,000 over the past year, which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) attributed to the growth of the right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, which now has 70,000 members.
In its latest annual report the BfV stated that “given the rising membership figures, it can be assumed that the pool of individuals with extremist leanings within the AfD has also expanded accordingly”.
The report stated that 28,000 AfD members had the potential to become “right-wing extremists”, a 40% increase over the past year, AFP reported.
Although “right-wing extremists” make up just 0.07% of Germany’s population, BfV head Sinan Selen, who was born in Turkey, said in the report that they presented the greatest threat to German democracy, which he said was under “practically permanent attack”.
Of the 60,000, the BfV estimated 5,600 have a propensity for violence, but also noted a corresponding increase in left-wing extremist numbers to 42,200, and a rise in far-left violence towards right-wing activists and police.
The agency said there are also 28,645 individuals involved in Islamism or Islamist terrorism.
The BfV sparked controversy by designating the AfD as an extremist group last year, and although the listing has been frozen pending the outcome of a court challenge it still describes the party as a “suspected extremist organisation”.
The report also stated that “right-wing extremist and conspiracy-theory narratives – such as that of a ‘population exchange’ or the ‘Great Replacement’ – are frequently picked up” by the the AfD and other right-wing groups.
Mr Selen and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said while presenting the report that the greatest external threat came from Russia.
“Russia views Germany as a key adversary in Europe and employs the full spectrum of tools in its hybrid operations across the continent,” Mr Selen said.
Header image credit: Ввласенко – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link.
