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Federal Criminal Police Office warns of dangers for candidates in the federal election campaign

2021-07-30T00:00:03.638Z


Right-wing groups talk about dictatorship, so-called "lateral thinkers" visit politicians at home: According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, personal protection must be expanded before the election - because of the increased risk.


Enlarge image

Demo in Berlin against corona measures (in summer 2020)

Photo: Christian Spicker / imago images / Christian Spicker

Germany will elect a new Bundestag in less than two months.

Until then, the many candidates can expect a full schedule.

But in addition to the usual election campaign stress, security concerns are also coming to the fore in the current social climate.

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) assumes an increased risk situation with a view to the election at the end of September.

Measures for personal protection would be higher this year "in terms of logistics and personnel, depending on the situation," said a BKA spokeswoman for the editorial network Germany (RND).

This is based "on an individual and detailed risk assessment".

"You have to assume that there is a high risk for politicians," Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) also told the RND.

"We take this very seriously."

Maier blamed the AfD and the scene of the so-called "lateral thinkers", among other things.

"They create a climate that is worrying because they keep talking about dictatorship," said the Minister of the Interior.

In some cases, "lateral thinkers" have already visited politicians at home, such as the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) and a Thuringian mayor.

Quarrel at the garden fence, rights at the Reichstag

In the case of Kretschmer, around 30 people protested against the Corona measures in front of his private property in January 2021.

According to the police, the CDU politician spoke to the demonstrators at the garden fence.

After about 15 minutes the debate ended and everyone left the place.

“It wasn't a threatening situation for me.

It is important to me to talk to people in the hope of convincing them, «Kretschmer said afterwards to the dpa news agency.

However, when a woman demonstratively pulled a scarf in the colors of the Imperial War flag over her mouth, a limit had been reached for him.

In another case, in August 2020, supporters of conspiracy myths and right-wing extremists tried to get into the Reichstag building on the sidelines of a demonstration.

The mob came all the way to the stairs, then police officers pushed the group back.

jok / AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-07-30

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