cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/10085225
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has reported a surge in leftwing extremism, in response to the resurgent far right and Israel’s actions in the Middle East.
Violent crimes motivated by leftwing ideological beliefs include attempted murder, assaults, sabotage and arson attacks and rose 60 per cent in 2025, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) said on Tuesday.
“Leftwing extremism is on the rise again in Germany and poses a threat to public safety and order,” said interior minister Alexander Dobrindt at a news conference presenting the intelligence agency’s annual report.
He added that the phenomenon was largely a reaction to the already widespread problem of rightwing extremism in Germany, warning of a radicalising dynamic developing between the two.
“For both groups — leftwing extremists and rightwing extremists alike — we can see here that the potential for violence is rising significantly,” Dobrindt said.
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An electricity substation in Berlin was destroyed by the leftwing terrorist Vulkangruppe in January, leaving some 100,000 residents without power in freezing conditions for several days. Authorities were surprised by the attack and have struggled to trace the origins of the group or its membership.
Leftwing terrorism plays a dark role in postwar German history: during the 1970s and 1980s the Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof gang, conducted a campaign of robberies and bombings. They assassinated US soldiers, German diplomats and the CEO of Deutsche Bank as well as many ordinary West German citizens.
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The BfV is now tracking multiple extremist leftwing organisations, many of which profess violence as a political tool and are mostly underground.
“We’re dealing here with highly secretive structures . . . which, at times, also operate very professionally,” said BfV president Sinan Selen.
German intelligence and law enforcement services were working hard to penetrate the organisations, he said. “Various security agencies are very active in this area, and we’ll see what the coming months bring in this respect.”
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Under Selen, the agency has also sought to have the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) — which now polls as the country’s largest political party — classified as a rightwing extremist organisation.
The determination was struck down by a German court in February but is still under review.
“My personal assessment is that the AfD is an extremist party,” Dobrindt said on Tuesday. His agency’s goal was to continue to scrutinise the party and its membership, he said.
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@lath@piefed.social
How does sabotage of a railway station or the electricity grid that leaves 100,000 citizens without power help?
They are the same because the only thing they are interested in is violence. The only thing they cause is harm for other, innocent people.
Alright, let’s take a step back. Any extremist group has a goal in mind, but we call them extremist because their methods and/or the goal itself are taken to the extreme.
As for the innocent. That’s a blanket statement that doesn’t apply to everyone. There’s innocence, ignorance and indifference. The innocent did nothing wrong, the ignorant were unaware of doing something wrong and the indifferent didn’t care they were doing something wrong.
So, identify the group who caused the sabotage, consider their reasoning, ascertain the guilt of the targeted party and determine whether it was justified. After that, of the innocent affected, estimate the ratio of innocence/ignorance/indifference and punish the extremist group accordingly.
Please remember that inconvenience does not merit the same punishment as causing death or grevious harm.