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Bundestag: The Bundestag police is its own police authority with around 200 officers and is subordinate to the President of the Bundestag
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Felix Schröder / dpa
Does the police, which is responsible for protecting the Bundestag, have a problem with right-wing extremism in their own ranks?
This is what a report by the »taz« suggests.
Research by the daily newspaper has shown that there are apparently several officers working for the Bundestag police who have made right-wing extremist statements or acted in a way that is unconstitutional.
According to this, a Bundestag police officer was involved in a Reich Citizens' Party that rejects the Basic Law.
In addition, the officer is said to have denied the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany to colleagues.
According to the research, another official called for demonstrations of the so-called lateral thinking movement and took part in the demonstration in August 2020 that culminated in the attempted assault on the Reichstag.
According to the report, right-wing extremist content was regularly distributed in chat groups used for business purposes.
According to its own information, the "taz" received this information from active and former federal police officers.
As an example of the chats, the newspaper cites a picture with a gun and a call to violence against black people: "If the n ***** jump around wildly, switch to automatic mode," the chat message is quoted.
Racist and discriminatory choice of words are commonplace
Anti-Semitic slogans were also posted in chats.
As the "taz" reports, according to consistent accounts, a racist and discriminatory choice of words is also commonplace in conversations while on duty.
According to a colleague, another police officer showed the Hitler salute several times in the break room and imitated the radio voice of Adolf Hitler.
In response to a request from SPIEGEL, the Bundestag administration said that the incident had not been confirmed.
The alleged right-wing extremist incidents apparently only became an issue in the Bundestag in the course of the »taz« research.
As the Bundestag administration announced, two officers of the Bundestag police informed them that a journalist of the »taz« had confronted them with the accusation.
However, they could not have confirmed that the colleague had shown the Hitler salute.
Subsequent discussions with officials and the accused would have led to the same result.
According to the Bundestag administration, several suspected cases have not been confirmed
The Bundestag administration is not aware of any other facts mentioned by the »taz«.
One acted "in possible suspected cases with politically extreme or racist references within the framework of the law clearly and consistently," it said further in a written answer of the Bundestag press office to the SPIEGEL.
In the letter, the press office names, in addition to the accusation of the Hitler salute, two further right-wing extremist suspected cases in the security area of the Bundestag since 2013. None of the cases have therefore been confirmed.
The Bundestag Police is its own police authority with around 200 officers and is subordinate to the President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU).
This particular structure has historical reasons.
It serves the special protection of the MPs and is supposed to protect the parliament in the event of a coup d'état, for example.
Bundestag President Schäuble has assured that the Bundestag administration will check any indications of "misconduct by employees, especially members of the police at the German Bundestag".
"Possible suspected cases, especially with politically extreme or racist references, are clearly and consistently investigated within the framework of the law," said Schäuble.
asc / srö / dpa
