The number of crimes with a right-wing extremist background increased by 9.6% in the reporting period; the number of violent crimes in this subgroup decreased by 7.6%. The number of crimes with a left-wing extremist background fell by 7.4%; the number of violent crimes in this subgroup decreased by 20.2%. This represents a decrease of approximately 7.6% in the number of violent crimes compared to the previous year.
The increase in crimes, including violent crimes motivated by extreme foreign ideology, is largely attributable to a.
Right-wing extremism/terrorism
There were also attempts to create networks across party and organizational boundaries within the right-wing extremist scene. Martial arts continue to serve as a means to bring together different groups within the far-right scene. And just like last year, an above-average number of new right-wing extremist music recordings were released in the year under review (compared to before the pandemic).
The NPD remained relevant to the internal organization of the right-wing extremist scene in 2021.
Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter”
Again in 2021, "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" continued to use the pandemic as a pretext to spread propaganda and disinformation online. With their protests "for the good of the child" they were sometimes able to mobilize support outside the "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" scene as well. For example, the Vaterländischer Hilfsdienst (VHD, Fatherland Aid Services), a subdivision of the "Reichsbürger" group known as Bismarcks Erben (Bismarck's Heirs), has attempted to establish its own news service called VHD Aktuell.
Particularly important are the activities that earn some "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" considerable income from others on the scene. For example, the group "Selbstverwalter" Königreich Deutschland (KRD, Kingdom of Germany) gives its followers the impression that they can avoid obligation. The ideology of the "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" is incompatible with the obligations of public employees defined in labor law and the civil service to support the liberal democratic order.
During the reporting year, several actions under labor and public service legislation were taken against federal civil servants with links to the "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" scene. Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” have a considerable potential for violence, which is often shown in their resistance to government action. Furthermore, "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" often promote the use of violence and weapons, sometimes even arguing that their apparent duty to resist justifies the killing of elected officials.
It refers to the laws of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (S.H.A.E.F.)6 and claims that Germany is still an occupied country under military rule. By the end of 2021, at least 1,050 weapons permits from “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” had been revoked.
Efforts to delegitimise the state falling within the re- mit of the German domestic intelligence community”
Attempts to delegitimize the state fall within the purview of Germany's domestic intelligence community.” What the various groups and individuals have in common is the categorical rejection of the containment measures of the federal and state governments. Part of the protest scene developed this hostile attitude into a fundamental rejection of the existing order of the state and its institutions.
Some actors of the Querdenker movement indirectly called for the overthrow of the existing political order and the abolition of state institutions. Again and again, analogies with dictatorial regimes are deliberately drawn to deny the legitimacy of current national or federal state governments and of representative parliamentary democracy as such. In addition, members of the police and public order authorities have been confronted with adversary since the fall of 2021.
The resulting escalation of protests and their transformation into violent confrontations with the police was intended to create an image of a rigorous state that denies its citizens their civil rights and to induce solidarity effects among the majority population. Such intentions are therefore another example that illustrates the dynamic development in the field of work "efforts to delegitimize the state, which is the responsibility of the German domestic intelligence community", which represents a threat to democracy. For example, contacts with members of the right-wing extremist scene and with "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" have been observed several times.
Members of the right-wing extremist scene, in turn, have sought to actively influence the aforementioned range of individuals and the protests against the government's coronavirus-related security measures. However, it is likely that topics of the new field of work of "attempts to delegitimize the state that fall within the competence of the German domestic intelligence community" address new topics and use other social crisis situations (for example in connection with the climate protection policy or high energy prices) to disdain government bodies and policy makers.
Left-wing extremism
Developments in the left-wing extremist strongholds of Berlin, Hamburg and Leipzig remain worrying. There are indications in various states that small clandestine groups are emerging within the violence-oriented left-wing extremist scene. However, this term cannot be clearly defined, and in the left-wing extremist scene there is a tendency to label any political opponent as 'fascist'.
With these attacks, left-wing extremist perpetrators do not only aim to harm specific victims. Violence-oriented left-wing extremists see the police as their greatest enemy in the fight against the state they so fiercely oppose. From the point of view of the left-wing extremists, every injured police officer represents a weakening of the 'repressive'.
And a fire safety inspection in the Rigaer94 squat was carried out despite massive resistance from left-wing extremists. Violence-oriented left-wing extremists regularly respond to such measures with violent protests, property damage and arson. In 2021, as in other years, the left-wing extremist scene tried to increase its influence through international networks.
In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the left-wing extremist scene had still not developed its own position on the causes and consequences of the pandemic. Its main activity is supporting left-wing extremist perpetrators, both during criminal proceedings and in prison.
Islamist extremism/terrorism
The majority of people imprisoned or detained abroad intend to return to Germany. More than a third of the people known to have traveled to Germany for Syria or Iraq have returned. After the withdrawal of the international military alliance, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021. So far, this has had no direct impact on the Islamist extremist and jihadist scene in Germany.
Most of the anti-Semitic incidents recorded by the German domestic intelligence community are contributions to the Internet. The increase in criminal offenses is probably the result of the number of events and protests that have increased again compared to a year ago. A major area of activity of various organizations in Germany related to foreign extremism is fundraising.
First of all, these funds serve to finance own structures and activities in Germany and Europe, but part of the money is also transferred to the mother organizations in their home countries. Campaigns of the DHKP-C in Germany in 2021, in addition to current events in the home country, were mainly characterized and motivated by the movement of international solidarity with prisoners. 11,000 followers of the Ülkücü movement living in Germany are organized into three large umbrella organizations.
Regardless of the improvement in the situation, which is entirely due to the pandemic, this tension will continue to threaten internal security in Germany. The ability of this scene to mobilize followers even in Germany was illustrated by its response to the Middle East conflict, which flared up again after the rocket attacks of the Islamist extremist HAMAS on Israel in the second half of 2021.
Intelligence activities, espionage, cyber attacks and other activities which threaten security, carried out on
360° processing”, all intelligence services active in Germany are monitored if there are indications of intelligence activities in Germany. The activities of the Russian intelligence services in Germany have been at a consistently high level for years. In the area of German domestic policy, Russian intelligence services seek to gather information on political party structures and developments and the policy positions of individual political parties.
Observed attack operations are generally aimed at obtaining information, but in some cyber attack operations Russian intelligence services have also shown a willingness to engage in sabotage. Furthermore, the December 2021 verdict in the case known as the Tiergarten assassination shows the gravity of the potential threat posed by Russian intelligence services. China's intelligence services have extensive powers, which they use primarily to maintain the power of the ruling Communist Party.
In Germany, Chinese intelligence services focus on the fields of politics and administration, the business sector, academic research, the technology sector and the military. Chinese intelligence services focus on the structure, armament and training of the Bundeswehr, and on the acquisition of modern weapons technology from the German security and defense industry. This also includes the instrumentalization of members of the Chinese diaspora for measures against members of the Chinese opposition.
This means that the Iranian regime is interested in information about the West's future policies – for example, Germany's foreign and security policy. These activities by the Turkish intelligence services and security authorities are accompanied by attempts to influence the Turkish community in Germany.
Security of classified material, personnel security and counter-sabotage
For simple security checks, 36,530 extended security checks and 2,780 extended security checks including security screenings were carried out in connection with the security of classified information. A further 7,590 counter-sabotage checks were carried out, along with 14,460 security checkpoint updates.
The Scientology Organisation (SO)
In addition, material designed specifically for children was distributed for the first time, a reflection of the organization's growing efforts to influence children. The SO also complained to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights about German authorities' alleged violations of Scientologists' human rights. Through such activities, the SO seeks to gain political relevance and acceptance in order to promote its own expansion.
Department of Language Services, Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community Language Services, Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV). This pamphlet was issued as part of the federal government's public information efforts.
