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Stuttgart (dpa) - In view of the ongoing protests of the "lateral thinking" movement and increasing violence in the vicinity of the demonstrations, calls for the protection of the constitution are getting louder.
In Baden-Württemberg and other federal states, however, it is not enough to be classified as an object of observation, despite warnings of radicalization and infiltration by extremists.
"Lateral thinking 711" is currently not an object of observation, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution Baden-Württemberg announced on Thursday upon request.
However, well-known extremists are active both among the organizers of the “lateral thinking” events and in the immediate vicinity of the initiative.
The President of the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Stephan J. Kramer, expects that the movement will soon be classified as a suspected case.
The background is a meeting of the organizers of the "lateral thinking" demonstrations against the corona measures with members of the Reich citizen scene in Saalfeld, Thuringia, Kramer told the German press agency.
Around 100 people from all over Germany took part.
Only a few left after they became aware of the composition of the participants.
Kramer had told the RBB that, from his point of view, there was now “sufficient evidence” to classify the scene as a suspected case.
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Uli Sckerl, member of the state parliament of the Baden-Württemberg Greens, expects a decision on a so-called test case in the south-west in the coming weeks.
That would then initially be the preliminary stage of a suspected case in which the protection of the constitution can also use intelligence services.
"There is enough material to make a joint and nationwide decision in the foreseeable future," said Sckerl, who also heads the parliamentary control committee for the secret service in Baden-Württemberg.
Around a week ago, State Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) warned in the State Parliament's Interior Committee against the increasing influence of extremists and constitutional enemies in the ranks of the “lateral thinkers”.
The movement is fed by Reich citizens, self-administrators, right-wing extremists and conspiracy theorists who instrumentalized the demonstrators.
The anti-Semitism commissioner of the Baden-Württemberg state government, Michael Blume, openly accuses the "lateral thinkers" of being hostile to democracy.
“It attacks democracy,” said Blume on Thursday in the ZDF “morning magazine”.
"If you don't want to see how dangerous this movement is and how it is radicalizing, you obviously don't want to see it."
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Blume justified his assessment, among other things, with the fact that “lateral thinking” founder Michael Ballweg had called a “constituent assembly”, and there were also contacts with the scene of the so-called Reich citizens.
These reject the German state, its legal system, governments, parliaments and the police.
The Stuttgart entrepreneur Ballweg defended himself against the allegations: "The movement is misrepresented," he told the dpa.
"We are a peaceful movement and not a political party."
Extremism, violence, anti-Semitism and inhuman ideas have just as little place in the "lateral thinkers" as the symbols of these ways of thinking.
Supporters of the initiative “lateral thinking 0711” and offshoots of the movement have taken to the streets in numerous German cities against restrictions in the Corona crisis in recent months.
There were also counter-demonstrations.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201203-99-554997 / 5
Interview with Blume on ZDF