WORLD -
GERMANY
Spy agency to monitor Covid sceptics
RTL|Update:
28.04.2021 12:05
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/1713250.html
Germany's
domestic intelligence agency will start monitoring leading figures in the
protest movement against Covid restrictions, the interior ministry said
Wednesday, over concerns they pose a threat to democracy and have ties to
right-wing extremism.
The
monitoring will focus on members of Germany's "Querdenker" (Lateral
Thinkers) movement, which has emerged as the loudest voice opposed to
coronavirus curbs and an active promoter of conspiracy theories denying basic
facts about the pandemic.
Some protest
organisers "have clearly demonstrated that their agenda goes beyond simply
mobilising protests against the government's corona measures", the
ministry said in a statement.
Their main
aim appears to be to "permanently undermine trust in state institutions
and their representatives", it added.
They are
suspected of seeking out links with right-wing extremists such as
"Reichsbuerger" (Citizens of the Reich) who question the legitimacy
of the modern Federal Republic of Germany, and of spreading anti-Semitic
messages and QAnon myths, the ministry added.
They also
encourage supporters to ignore official orders and challenge the state monopoly
on violence, it said.
"Querdenker"
demonstrations over the past year have attracted thousands, at times tens of
thousands, of supporters, where anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists are seen
marching side by side with neo-Nazis and members of the far-right AfD party.
The
demonstrations are notorious for being broken up early by police because
protesters fail to comply with rules on social distancing and mask wearing, and
have occasionally descended into clashes.
For
intelligence officers to be legally allowed to start observing parts of the
anti-corona groups, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the
Constitution (BfV) had to create an entirely new category because the
"Querdenkers" do not fit neatly into the existing classifications of
right-wing, left-wing or Islamic extremism.
The new
category is for groups suspected of being "anti-democratic and/or
delegitimising the state in a way that endangers security".
The
designation allows intelligence officers to gather data about individuals and
their activities, and can in a further step include shadowing people and
tapping their communications.
The BfV is
already monitoring Germany's anti-Islam, anti-migrant AfD opposition party.
GERMANY
Meet Germany's 'Querdenker' COVID protest
movement
They act like a peace movement, but Querdenker march
alongside the far-right, and their protests often end in violence. A look into
the people behind the protests.
https://www.dw.com/en/meet-germanys-querdenker-covid-protest-movement/a-57049985
A mixed bag of people attend the
'Querdenker' rallies
The trained
business administrator Michael Ballweg founded the Querdenker (lateral
thinkers) movement in the city of Stuttgart in 2020. Organizing it has become
his full-time job, as the movement has spread.
The
Querdenker include pandemic skeptics, anti-vaxxers and anti-lockdown
protesters. They claim the COVID-19 pandemic and the federal and regional laws
aimed at halting the spread of the virus, infringe on citizens' liberties.
Now,
protesters regularly take to the streets in cities across the country.Often the
demonstrations turn violent.
But images
of clashes between demonstrators and police do not fit the image the Querdenker
like to create for themselves. Michael Ballweg and his followers are always
quick to emphasize their peacefulness and loyalty to the German Constitution.
Dancing and
singing are part of the standard repertoire at rallies. But that's only one
facet because right-wing extremists are also in regular attendance. And nobody
walking alongside them seems to care.
Democracy
researcher at the University of Marburg, Reiner Becker, recognizes a recurring
pattern: "It is every individual's decision to take part in such a
demonstration," he told DW. In turn, participants are therefore
responsible for their actions. They know that it is a strategy to overwhelm
police with the "sheer mass" of demonstrators and not to adhere to
the rules imposed by the courts.
Criticism
of police
This is
exactly what happened in mid-March in Kassel. More than three times the
permitted 6,000 participants marched through the streets. Most of them didn't
follow social distancing rules of 1.5 meters, nor did they wear face masks.
Counter-demonstrators were also on the move. As the situation grew increasingly
confusing and violent. Police were using batons, pepper spray, and water
cannon. Photos and video footage of police officers beating demonstrators
continue to circulate online.
Christopher
Vogel works in the mobile advisory team against racism and far-right extremism
in Kassel and has observed the demo on the ground. He considers general
criticism of officials' behavior to be unfair, he told DW. The situation was
confusing, he said: There were clashes between right- and left-wing radicals,
but in between were families with young children and some demonstrators put
their children "in the front row, as protective shields so to speak,"
Vogel recalled. His conclusion: "It was no longer manageable."
No
political ambitions
The
substance of the movement is "extremely thin," he said. In principle,
Querdenker are only concerned with their individual freedom and have no further
socio-political demands.
"They
just want to get back to normal and have some peace and quiet from the
state," Vogel said. If COVID-19 disappears from the front pages, a large
part will say goodbye to political engagement.
This
assessment fits in with the results of a study published in December 2020 by
sociologists at the University of Basel, Oliver Nachtwey. He and his team asked
more than 1,100 "Querdenker" about their motives and attitudes.
Almost half of them had never participated in a demonstration before the
coronavirus protests.
"In
terms of demographics, it's a relatively old and relatively academic
movement," is one finding. Less than 10% are younger than 30, and the
average age is almost 50.
Almost
two-thirds of those surveyed have at least a high school diploma, more than
half of them have finished their university education, and 67% consider
themselves to be middle class.
23% of the
surveyed Querdenker said they had cast their ballots for the Greens in
Germany's 2017 federal election. Eighteen percent voted for the Left party and
15% for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). But, that was long before
the pandemic. In September's elections, the AfD could almost double votes in
Querdenker circles to 27%, while the Greens and conservative CDU/CSU would not
get any support at all.
According
to the Basel study, the vast majority of Querdenker, say they'll vote for
little-known splinter parties in September, such as the Basic Democratic Party
of Germany, which was only founded in July 2020. On that party's homepage,
there are statements like: "Anyone who claims that freedom prevails in our
country is lying. Because freedom does not prevail."
This
perceived lack of freedom appeals to the Querdenker: 80% of those polled said
they agree with the statement that one can no longer express their opinion
without getting into trouble. Around 75% believe the media and politics are in
cahoots, and that the government is hiding the truth.
The
Querdenker movement is characterized by a strong sense of alienation, the study
showed, not only from state institutions and the political system and the
established media.
But the
Querdenker followers were also found to be not "downright xenophobic or
Islamophobic" and in some cases "rather anti-authoritarian and
inclined towards anthroposophy."
This
self-assessment seems to fit in with the images of Querdenker demos. Dancing,
drumming, singing people, on the one hand, and far-right extremists bearing the
imperial Reichskrieg flag and anti-Semitic slogans on the other.
The
protesters are a mixed bag of people: Some look like hippies from the 1960s and
70s. Others seek to provoke by wearing a yellow star, similar to those which
Jews were forced to wear under the Nazis. Instead of the word "Jude"
(Jew) their stars bear the word "ungeimpft" (not vaccinated.) The
stars are meant to highlight the alleged stigmatization by the system the
protesters reject.
The
Querdenker movement has been officially under surveillance by domestic
intelligence in its home state of Baden-Württemberg since December.
"Extremist, ideological conspiracy and anti-Semitic content is
deliberately mixed up with legitimate criticism of the state measures that aim
to contain the pandemic," a statement said at the time.
Almost four
months on, authorities say their decision has been confirmed. Additional
insights into regional Querdenker offshoots were obtained, "which give a
more comprehensive picture of the initiative's network," a spokesperson
for the regional intelligence agency told DW on request.
Some of the
gathered data show the interweaving of leading Querdenker figures with
far-right Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter groups.
How far the
contact goes could soon be observed again at the next large-scale
demonstration, planned for April 3 in Stuttgart. Unless the gathering is
prohibited. So far, however, such requests have almost always failed in court.
This
article was translated from German.
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