Stakeholders of (De-) Radicalisation in Germany

D3.1 Country Report April 2021

Abstract

Building on existing research and analyses by scholars, journalists and NGOs as well as on primary data, this report provides an overview of the context, structures, and agents of radicalised political violence in Germany and sheds light on the stakeholders and measures of de-radicalisation. A particular emphasis is laid on far-right terrorism, given its relevance to the current terrorist threat and its salience in terms of the quantity of violent assaults it’s been linked to, as well as its organisational capacity. The history of right-wing terrorism after reunification is most prominently linked to the so-called National Socialist Underground that is responsible for the racially motivated murders of at least 9 people. In 2015, a new wave of right-wing terrorism emerged with daily violent attacks on refugees, leading to disturbing records of political violence. In the context of anti-migration movements, terrorist cells such as the “Freital Group” formed and committed serious attacks on refugees and left-wing politicians, while other cells such as “Oldschool Society” and “Revolution Chemnitz” managed to be stopped by the police right before they could carry out their murderous plans, ideologically rooted on white supremacy, anti-muslim racism, antisemitism and misogyny. Most recently, in a period of few months in 2019 and 2020, three right-wing terrorist attacks took place, killing 13 people.

Against this background, the first part of the report studies the socioeconomic and political context in which processes of radicalisation unfolded in Germany since the fall of Berlin wall in 1989. It shows that, as a result of major domestic and global transformations, social insecurity and a significant loss of trust in democratic institutions among the population have created a social environment in which radicalisation accentuates rapidly as new crises emerge. Events ranging from the global financial crisis to the increasing influx of refugees to the Covid 19 pandemic have all contributed to a dynamic in which segments of the population become increasingly alienated from the democratic system and eager to join radical movements that openly challenge democratic institutions and seek to destabilize and polarise the population. The new right, especially the far-right party Alternative for Germany, has played a particular important role in this process.

The second part of the report analyses the statistical evidence of radicalisation and compares it with the perception of violence by political elites and the population. Based on different sources from state authorities and civil society, it describes the major threat posed by far-right terrorism. In comparison, evidence of jihadist terrorism appears relatively low. Apart from the deadly attack on a Christmas market in 2016, jihadism rather remains a potential threat, exemplified by the terrifying attacks in other European and non-European countries. The report has also shown that there is no indication for ethno-separatist or left-wing terrorism in Germany. Nevertheless, in political discourse, references to left-wing violence are sometimes used as a political tool by nationalist and conservative parties, especially by the AfD, but also by the CDU and individual politicians of other parties. The trend of overestimating left-wing violence is also visible in public discourse, bearing witness of a mutual interdependence of public and political discourse.