Far-right extremism in Germany increased over pandemic
Berlin, Jun 7 (EFE).- The number of extremist members in Germany’s far-right movements has increased as a result of protests against Covid-19 restrictions during the pandemic, an annual report published by German authorities showed on Tuesday.
According to the report, the Reichsbürger (‘Reich Citizens’) — a movement that does not recognize Germany’s borders or its authorities — gained popularity during demonstrations against coronavirus measures across the country.
“The potential of Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter (Sovereign Citizen) has increased by 1,000 people compared to the previous year, to a total of 21,000. This increase is mainly due to protests against state measures to protect against coronavirus,” the Protection of the Constitution report said.
The far-right movement increased in “dynamism and activity” and gun licenses of at least 1,050 extremists have been revoked, the report added.
“However, there is still a high potential for violence and danger from gun ownership,” it warned.
Tens of thousands of people across Germany participated in demonstrations against coronavirus measures imposed by the government during the course of the pandemic.
Germany has reported a total of 26.5 million Covid-19 cases and 139,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Just over 77% of the population has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while 75.9 % have been fully inoculated. EFE
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