Because fewer and fewer people come to their demos, they are now changing their tactics: How lateral thinkers and neo-Nazis are taking advantage of the flood disaster.
Ahrweiler - From the demo to the disaster area: “Unconventional thinkers” and neo-Nazis jump from crisis to crisis, trying to win over people for their purposes where the suffering is particularly great.
And because fewer and fewer people go to corona demos, the scene has discovered a new topic for itself: the flood disaster *.
City in Germany: |
Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler |
Surface: |
63.4 km² |
Federal state: |
Rhineland-Palatinate |
Population: |
27,427 (Dec 31, 2008) |
In Rhineland-Palatinate, where over 100 people died in the floods, “lateral thinkers” and neo-Nazis now want to gain a foothold, set up their own “control center” for aid campaigns - and set up structures parallel to the state.
This is reported by the editorial network in Germany.
Lateral thinkers want to look after children in the crisis area
For this purpose, the conspiracy ideologist Bodo Schiffmann has already collected almost 400,000 euros in donations via his private PayPal account.
And the association “Parents Stand Up”, a collection of vaccination opponents and corona deniers, wants to set up a childcare center for flood victims.
In Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler (Rhineland-Palatinate), construction work began on a “family center” a few days ago.
The idea: professional pastors and “coaches” should look after children affected by the flood.
Not only local people have the impression that the association acts on behalf of the German state and officially takes over the childcare.
No offer coordinated with the operational management of the country. "
State Ministry of Family on the child care project of the lateral thinkers
This is not the case, the Ahrweiler district administration makes clear on its Facebook page on Sunday - and is promptly attacked by supporters of the lateral thinker scene.
The state family ministry also feels compelled to publish a clarification: The care service is not an "offer coordinated with the state's operations management".
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) also warns of the machinations of right-wing circles.
Lateral thinkers exploit the flood disaster: donors make it possible
Such projects are made possible above all by numerous donors: Big names in the scene, such as the doctor and conspiracy theorist Bodo Schiffmann *, have great success with calls for payment.
As of Monday, July 20, 2021, Schiffmann had collected 390,000 euros from his followers.
Investigations are currently underway against Schiffmann for issuing false mask certificates and suspicion of sedition.
The funds have been flowing to Schiffmann since last year - at that time, among other things, for alleged lawsuits against corona measures by the federal government - but also for the "donation" of his livelihood.
Schiffmann is not alone in making donations: other “lateral thinkers” celebrities are also collecting.
+
Massive rainfall has caused flooding in Bad Neuenahr in Rhineland-Palatinate as well as in the entire Ahrweiler district.
© Philipp von Ditfurth / dpa
So much so that the scene announces that it wants to set up its own "operations control center for the peace and freedom movement" in Ahrweiler.
Maximilian Eder, ex-lieutenant colonel of the special forces command of the Bundeswehr, is to take over the management.
Eder appeared as a speaker at a corona demo in Berlin in May.
Flood disaster: neo-Nazis are also involved
The scene works hand in hand on the project: For example, a bus operator who has been transporting “lateral thinkers” to demonstrations in recent months is now supposed to bring a busload of volunteers to Ahrweiler.
Neo-Nazis are also busy: The “Volkslehrer”, video blogger and Holocaust denier Nikolai Nerling shows himself in a video with other right-wing extremists from the “control center” in front of a primary school.
Ten of them arrived from Thuringia on Sunday, Nerling said, to help.
He recommends imitators to arrive in the evening or at night - this is how the security forces could be avoided.
Meanwhile, the Rhineland-Palatinate flood crisis team expressly asks not to travel to the disaster area on your own.
"The few still intact escape routes must absolutely be kept free for the emergency services," said a Facebook post.
* Kreiszeitung.de, merkur.de and fr.de are offered by IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubric lists: © Philipp von Ditfurth
