As of: February 23, 2024, 3:52 p.m
By: Julia Schöneseiffen
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Fear of the spread of political extremism is increasing - especially right-wing extremism.
It is now all the more important to counteract this fear.
“Human rights instead of human rights” – is written on a cardboard sign at a demonstration in Hamburg.
Since the beginning of January there have been numerous protest events against right-wing extremism in Germany.
The trigger was research by the media company
Correctiv
about a meeting of radical right-wingers in Potsdam.
Hundreds of thousands have since taken to the streets.
They are protesting all over the country - and making the AfD nervous.
They are probably moved by a feeling that, according to a recent study, two thirds of Germans feel: they fear an increasing division in society and the conflicts that come with it.
For the study by R+V Versicherung, 1,000 citizens were asked about their political concerns in February.
Study “The Fears of Germans” shows: Fear of extremism is increasing
“We have been observing a certain drifting apart into different social camps in Germany for a long time.
Now the right-wing extremists are stoking fear of even deeper rifts with their attacks on democracy,” says Isabelle Borucki, political scientist and consultant on the study.
In the summer of 2023, 50 percent of those surveyed said they were afraid of a division in society.
Accordingly, an increase of 16 percentage points was recorded within a few months.
Fear of the spread of political extremism rose even more significantly: from 38 percent to 59 percent of the study participants.
Under the motto “Resist the shift to the right,” thousands of people demonstrated in Magdeburg against right-wing extremism.
© Middle East Images/Imago
A look at the past few years shows that the fear of political extremism has only been twice as high since 1996 as it was in the survey in February 2024 (59 percent).
In 2016, this concern was 68 percent, and a year later it was 62 percent.
This is due to the attacks by the IS terrorist militia and the large number of refugees in Europe, according to the study.
Why is fear of extremism increasing?
Even now there is a connection between Germans' increasing fear of the spread of extremism and current political events.
The meeting in Potsdam, "the heated debate about agricultural diesel, the farmers' protests and the interference of demonstrators in the private lives of politicians - we can identify the loss of contact with the political system and democracy as the cause," explains Borucki to
BuzzFeed News Germany
, a portal from
Ippen.Media
.
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In addition, the number of violent acts and crimes related to extremism is increasing.
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior's Office for the Protection of the Constitution report, a total of 35,452 crimes with an extremist background were registered in 2022 - almost 2,000 more than in the previous year.
This means that the number reached its peak.
Extremism and the apparent or actual danger associated with it, as well as the feeling of insecurity and fear, are a “dangerous cocktail,” summarizes Borucki.
72 percent are afraid of the spread of right-wing extremism
Citizens are particularly afraid of the spread of right-wing extremism.
72 percent of those surveyed said they were afraid of the spread of right-wing extremism:
kind of extremism |
Fear of extremism type in percent |
|---|---|
Right-wing extremism |
72 |
Left-wing extremism |
29 |
Islamist extremism |
61 |
“The tendency towards right-wing extremism has continued to increase and right-wing extremist attitudes have moved further to the center.”
According to the political scientist, this trend is based, among other things, on the feeling of not being heard and left behind.
“Civil society sees right-wing extremism as a concrete threat.”
Fear of social division and extremism: Politics must act
It is now the task of politicians to counteract this fear among citizens.
“It’s about conveying to people that they are not left alone, that there are reliable solutions and, above all, that no one is left behind,” says Borucki.
That is exactly what is missing at the moment.
An example of this: the heating debate.
People have the feeling that governance extends into their own homes, without socially acceptable compensation.
This would make many people feel left behind, explains Borucki.
Marcel Fratzscher, President of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), also sees the German economy as responsible.
The economist calls on companies to take a clear position against the right.
How can citizens address the fear of extremism?
Every single citizen can and should face the fear of (right-wing) extremism.
Rule-breaking and rule-breaking behavior should not be accepted.
Rather, people should take action against it: inform the responsible MP, report hate online.
Parents can demand educational and awareness-raising programs against the right at schools.
Ultimately, people can actively participate in democracy and take action against extremism: by voting.
(jsh)