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"Lateral thinker" demonstration in front of the Stuttgart state parliament
Photo: DROFITSCH / EIBNER / imago images / Eibner
After the killing of a petrol station cashier in Idar-Oberstein because of a dispute over wearing a corona protective mask, domestic politicians from several parties have given the AfD joint responsibility for the radicalization of the "maverick" scene. "The AfD is the top agent of political radicalization in Germany," said the domestic political spokesman for the
FDP
parliamentary group,
Konstantin Kuhle
, the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND). The alleged perpetrator from Idar-Oberstein supported the party "on social media," said Kuhle to the RND.
"By spreading their confused dictatorship allegations during the corona pandemic, right-wing extremists share responsibility for the radicalization of certain sections of the population, including the perpetrators from Idar-Oberstein." donated their money.
More cautious tones from the Union
The domestic policy spokeswoman for the
SPD
parliamentary group,
Ute Vogt
, made serious accusations against the AfD.
"Since its entry into the German Bundestag, the AfD has made a significant contribution to the enormous increase in hatred and agitation on the streets and in social media," Vogt told the RND.
The party "quickly recognized the potential and used the 'lateral thinker' scene for itself."
The
Union
expressed itself a little more cautiously: "To look for the reasons for this horrific act alone with the AfD is too easy," said the domestic political spokesman for the Union faction,
Mathias Middelberg
, the RND. "But of course the AfD, with its targeted provocations, is contributing to an ever increasing polarization of our society." That also leads to lower inhibition thresholds.
It must now be examined in detail what drove the perpetrator to the act. "If there are connections to the 'lateral thinkers' scene, the observation of this movement may have to be intensified," said Middelberg. It must be clear to everyone: “The core of the so-called lateral thinkers is no longer concerned with the Corona measures, but with fighting our democratic constitutional state. This clearly crosses a red line. "If you want to continue protesting against corona measures, you should clearly distance yourself from the lateral thinker scene," said Middelberg.
On Saturday, a 20-year-old student who worked at a gas station in Idar-Oberstein was shot. The occasion was apparently a dispute about the obligation to wear a corona mask. According to the police, the alleged perpetrator stated in his interrogation that he rejected the corona protective measures. Accordingly, the 49-year-old shot the young cashier out of anger at his request to wear a mask.
After joint research by SPIEGEL and the CeMAS think tank, which specializes in conspiracy ideologies, suspect Mario N. was already noticed two years ago on a Twitter profile with nebulous fantasies of violence.
“I'm looking forward to the next war.
Yes, that may sound destructive now, but we just can't get out of this spiral, ”wrote N. in September 2019 on Twitter.
In his last tweet on his profile a month later: »My muscles are tense, my mind sharpened.
Grace to those who created this situation.
Or no, grace would be wrong «.
aar / AFP
