- The country is looking for people to leave the far right
In the past five years, Saxony-Anhalt has seen a number of individuals in the mid-tens show interest in the right-wing extremism exit program "Extra". "Approximately half of these cases resulted in the individuals being accepted into the program," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior. It's important to note that due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, contacts and support offers were sometimes limited.
The exit assistance "Extra" is a counseling and support offer from the state. It aims to provide right-wing extremists who wish to leave a secure and sustainable exit from the right-wing extremist scene.
The number of people classified as extremists by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony-Anhalt has reached a new high. Last year, 5,480 people were classified as extremist. Right-wing extremism remains the greatest threat in Saxony-Anhalt, according to Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU). The Office for the Protection of the Constitution attributed 3,350 people to the right-wing extremist scene, around 700 to the Reichsbürger scene, 680 to the left-wing extremist scene, and approximately 400 to Islamism.
Visitors to the "Extra" exit assistance program often express their intention to leave the right-wing extremist scene at the exit, seeking a safer and more sustainable future. Prospective program participants may need to find alternative ways to communicate and meet due to limited contacts and support offers during the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially requiring guidance on the exit procedure's specifics.
