Police officers pelted with paint leave house No. 94 on Rigaer Straße in Berlin. © Paul Zinken/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Islamist attacks and right-wing terrorist acts of violence such as the murder of Walter Lübcke have long been perceived as threats. But many also see left-wing extremism as a danger.
A majority of 59 percent of German citizens are of the opinion that left-wing extremism in Germany currently poses a danger. People in this country feel personally threatened by right-wing extremism, left-wing extremism and radical Islamists almost equally. This is shown by the results of a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the German Press Agency.
According to the survey, 32 percent of Germans see left-wing extremism as a rather high danger. 27 percent of those surveyed think that there is even a very high risk here. 26 percent of citizens perceive a low risk. Only four percent of those surveyed said that left-wing extremism posed no danger at all. Eleven percent of Germans had no opinion on the question "How high, if any, do you generally consider the danger that left-wing extremists currently pose?"
Verdict against Lina E. shortly before survey
A few days before the interrogation, the left-wing extremist Lina E. had been sentenced to five years and three months in prison. The Higher Regional Court of Dresden found the 28-year-old, who comes from Kassel, guilty of membership in a criminal organization for several attacks on right-wing extremists. Three co-accused men received sentences ranging from two years and five months and three years and three months. The defendants have appealed against their convictions.
In the days following the pronouncement of the verdict, there had been protests by sympathizers in several cities. This led to violence against police forces. After riots in Leipzig, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said: "The senseless violence of left-wing extremist chaos and rioters cannot be justified by anything. Anyone who throws stones, bottles and incendiary devices at police officers must be held accountable for it."
She announced: "The security authorities of the federal and state governments will continue to keep a close eye on the violent left-wing extremist scene in the coming days and weeks and intervene consistently when criminal and violent acts occur."
56 percent feel personally threatened
The pollsters also asked about personal involvement. Here the question was: "To what extent, if at all, do you personally feel threatened by the following forms of extremism in Germany at the moment?"
According to the survey, around 56 percent of Germans feel personally threatened by left-wing extremism. 36 percent of those surveyed said they felt little or no threat here. At 61 percent, the proportion of Germans who feel personally threatened by right-wing extremism is slightly higher. 31 percent of the participants in the survey saw little or no threat from right-wing extremism for themselves. This assessment was particularly common among people who stated that they had voted for the AfD in the last federal election.
No east-west divide
There are no significant differences between the responses of respondents in East and West. Germans with and without a migration background also feel equally threatened by right-wing extremism. However, since only people who are entitled to vote for the Bundestag were surveyed, the results do not reflect the complete opinion of the adult resident population.
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Currently, 64 percent of German citizens feel personally threatened by Islamism and Salafism. 28 percent of those surveyed saw little or no concern for themselves. In this form of extremism, the perception of a personal threat is slightly lower among people with a migration background than among people who do not have a family history of migration. Dpa