Right-wing extremist campaign - Discussion about the "Stolzmonat"-Video of the Constitutional Protection
Lower Saxony's Constitutional Protection agency is causing discussions with a video about the campaign "Proud Month" as a counter-movement to the queer "Pride Month" on platform X. In the clip, the agency explains that the term "Proud Month" is used as a "right-wing extremist battle cry." However, lawyers expressed criticism, as the campaign is protected by freedom of speech.
A spokesperson for the Constitutional Protection agency stated, "The goal of the video is to inform the public that the creators of the '#Proud Month' campaign are right-wing extremist organizations that are monitored by the Constitutional Protection agency." The campaign is designed in such a way that this is not immediately apparent, "to find an attachment to non-extremist circles." The German flag is used by right-wing extremists for their campaign.
However, the scene is trying to ideologically occupy prejudices against trans- and homosexual people with the "Proud Month," said the spokesperson. As a "early warning system" of the democratic constitutional state, the Constitutional Protection sees itself obligated to fulfill its statutory duty to inform and enlighten the citizens.
Constitutional lawyer Volker Boehme-Neßler from the University Oldenburg considers the contribution of the Constitutional Protection illegal. "Contrary to what the Constitutional Protection thinks, freedom of speech reaches very far. And a domestic intelligence service that wants to influence political opinion with propaganda filmlets violates its competencies grossly. And a minister-president who covers this politically is unacceptable," said Boehme-Neßler to the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung."
Constitutional lawyer Alexander Thiele from the BSP Business & Law School Berlin also considers the post problematic, according to a report by "Welt." Freedom of speech goes very far, and the "Proud Month" should be protected by it, Thiele reportedly said.
Actions also in Lower Saxony
The "Proud Month" campaign has been known to the Lower Saxony Constitutional Protection since early 2023. "The first signs were already recognizable in previous years, but there was no concerted action," said the spokesperson of the authority.
The action mainly takes place online and especially on X, but is also supplemented with "real-world" actions – also in Lower Saxony. The Identitarian Movement placed black-red-golden signs on traffic lights and buildings, as well as a banner with the inscription "STOP LGBT" on a bridge abutment in Hannover in June 2023. The campaign was also promoted by the scene, including the AfD and its youth organization Young Alternative.
The AfD fraction leader in the state parliament, Klaus Wichmann, told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" that punishable statements made with the hashtag "Proud Month" should be punished. The task of the Constitutional Protection is to observe and not to interfere in political will-formation. "Constitutional Protection chief Dirk Pejril is not the schoolmaster of Lower Saxony," Wichmann reportedly said.
- The New Osnabrück Newspaper reported on the criticism from constitutional lawyer Volker Boehme-Neßler, who deemed the Constitutional Protection's video about the 'Proud Month' campaign as illegal, violating the agency's competencies and freedom of speech.
- Alexander Thiele, a constitutional lawyer from the BSP Business & Law School Berlin, also expressed concerns about the Constitutional Protection's video, stating that the 'Proud Month' campaign should be protected by freedom of speech.
- The Constitutional Protection Agency in Lower Saxony has been monitoring the 'Proud Month' campaign since early 2023, viewing the movements of right-wing extremists and their affiliations with organizations like the Identitarian Movement and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) youth organization, Young Alternative.
- The Society for the Protection of the Constitution (German: Gesellschaft für die Freiheit und Sicherheit der Demokratie) has spoken out against the actions of the Identitarian Movement, labeling their use of the German flag in their campaign as a form of extremism and a violation of the constitution.
- In response to the criticism from politicians and legal experts, Alexander Thiele suggested a counter-movement against right-wing extremism, advocating for crucial dialogue and education about the importance of protecting democratic values and individual rights, particularly against the rise of extremism in society.
