More powers sought to fight extremism
BERLIN — Germany’s security services said Tuesday they’re seeking greater powers to fight the kind of farright extremism behind last week’s synagogue attack, including requiring internet companies to report illegal hate speech to police.
A 27yearold German man previously unknown to police confessed to carrying out the attack in the eastern city of Halle in which two people were killed Wednesday.
The suspected gunman, identified by prosecutors only as Stephan B. due to privacy rules, allegedly built the firearms he used with the help of online instructions, posted an antiSemitic screed before the attack and later broadcast the shooting live on a popular gaming site.
In response to the attack and previous incidents, German officials have called for more officers to be devoted to tackling farright extremism and a greater focus on online platforms they say are increasingly being used as a means of spreading farright radicalism and linking up with likeminded people in a way already seen with Islamist extremism.
Thomas Haldenwang, who heads the domestic intelligence agency, said the attack in Halle and similar shootings in Texas, New Zealand and Norway showed the need for security services to get better tools to tackle online extremism. In particular, he called for authorities to be given permission to install monitoring software on suspect’s devices so as to read their encrypted communication.
Holger Muench, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said online threats and acts of violence are creating a “climate of fear” in Germany that is deterring people from volunteering for public office.
“Rightwing crimes threaten our democracy,” Muench said. “The situation is serious.”
The country is still reeling from the killing of Walter Luebcke, a regional politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, who was shot dead at his home in June. Luebcke had vocally supported Merkel’s welcoming stance toward refugees in 2015 and the suspect in his killing is a farright extremist with a string of convictions for violent antimigrant crimes.