Right-wing extremist offenses increased noticeably in Schleswig-Holstein.
The domestic intelligence agency in Schleswig-Holstein has noted a stark rise in right-wing extremist crimes this past year. The total number of politically-motivated offenses connected to right-wing extremism skyrocketed by nearly 40% to 975 cases in comparison to the previous year. The number of violent crimes linked to right-wing extremism also skyrocketed, leaping from 46 to 81.
State Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, a member of the CDU, expressed her concerns. "This is definitely not a good sign," was her response. She also pointed out that right-wing extremists were unable to bypass, guide, or seize democratic protests conducted by other groups, despite their best efforts.
The minister refrained from providing examples. The right-wing extremist scene has been attempting to infiltrate and manipulate various protests and demonstrations in recent months and years. This happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as during protests conducted by farmers against subsidy cuts or protests against the Greens.
According to the annual report on protection of the constitution 2023, published on Thursday, the total number of right-wing extremists in Schleswig-Holstein scarcely changed, remaining stable at around 1,200. Among these, 350 were considered violent. Nonetheless, there was a significant increase in the number of so-called Reichsbürger, with a membership of 700, which is a 10% rise from the previous year.
"The escalated actions of certain groups within this spectrum and the strong latent potential for violence leading up to potential coups pose a significant threat to our liberal democratic order and public safety," Sütterlin-Waack said. In the recent months, various Reichsbürger conspiracies have been dismantled, and some parts of this scene partially overlap with the right-wing extremist subculture.
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In the annual report on protection of the constitution for 2023, there was a noticeable increase in right-wing extremist offenses, specifically in the category of criminal offenses, with a surge of about 40%. Despite the stable number of right-wing extremists in Schleswig-Holstein this year, the region witnessed a significant rise in the number of Reichsbürger, a subgroup within the right-wing extremist scene, which grew by 10%.
