Fighting the right
January 24, 2012
German Family Minister Kristina Schröder announced plans on Tuesday to devote 2 million euros ($2.6 million) to the establishment of a nationwide information and research center to combat right-wing extremism.
Meeting with Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, representatives of trade unions and members of the religious, sporting, immigrant, welfare, and youth communities at a summit in Berlin, Schröder said the center would combine knowledge and skills in the fight against extremism from groups across Germany and make them widely available.
She stressed that the knowledge to fight extremism was already available, but said what was lacking was an effective way of sharing that knowledge.
Friedrich said the government was obliged "to offer any help, encouragement and support" to prevent the spread of right-wing extremism, calling on the federal government and states to support individual communities in the fight.
"There must be no room in this country, in this society, for right-wing extremism," said Friedrich, adding that Germans must not be intimidated by extremist violence.
Law enforcement criticized
Tuesday's announcement follows last week's decision by the German government to create a national registry of thousands of neo-Nazis considered likely to commit acts of violence.
The idea for the registry came after the discovery of a right-wing extremist cell suspected of at least ten murders since the year 2000. The cell, known as the National Socialist Underground, is suspected of the murders of nine people in Germany with an immigrant background and one German policewoman. Two of the three suspects are now dead, while the third is in police custody.
Germany's law enforcement systems have been heavily criticized for their failure to coordinate their investigations into the neo-Nazi scene or to connect the suspects to the murders. Each of Germany's 16 states operates its own police force and intelligence agency, and they are often reluctant to share information.
Author: Martin Kuebler (dapd, epd, KNA)
Editor: Joanna Impey