Deradicalization and Integration Legal & Policy Framework

Germany/WP4 Country Report November 2021

Abstract

Since 2015 at the latest, the threat of radical political violence has once again become highly present in Germany. With an increasing influx of refugees due to the Syrian war and other conflicts in the Middle East, the New Right has succeeded in tapping into latent xenophobic sentiments among the population and in mobilizing masses against migration, Muslims and other minorities, creating a climate of fear. Alongside right-wing extremism, Islamism has repeatedly been at the center of public attention on radicalization ever since the attacks in New York in September 2001. However, apart from one serious terrorist attack in December 2016 on a Christmas market in Berlin, jihadist terrorism remains a rather potential threat in Germany.
This report provides an overview of the constitutional principles and legal and policy framework that guide state measures against radicalization. It describes the historical specificity of Germany’s modern day policy approach to deradicalization, which is linked to the concept of ‘militant democracy’ developed in the former Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) that aimed to prevent extremism before any attacks on democratic order actually materialized. Using the examples of two case studies, the report demonstrates the significant role of civil society in preventing radicalization and promoting democracy and points to the specific challenges of deradicalization efforts in the fields of right-wing extremism and Islamism.