Police officers should report right-wing extremists in their own ranks

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Dresden (dpa / sn) - Saxon police officers should report right-wing extremist activities to colleagues internally - anonymously if necessary.

The Ministry of the Interior in Dresden confirmed a corresponding report by MDR Aktuell on Friday.

"Extremism both in the police and in the administrative area are intolerable and must be consistently prosecuted under criminal, disciplinary and labor law," said Ministry spokeswoman Silvaine Reiche on request.

Police officers would even have a duty to act in the case of behavior that justifies suspicion of criminally relevant violations: "That has nothing to do with denouncing."

Interior Minister Roland Wöller (CDU) presented the coordination office for internal prevention and combating of extremism set up in summer 2020 in a letter to employees at the end of December.

Its aim is to network actors in the internal defense against extremism and to bundle all important information on extremist efforts by employees at an early stage.

In addition, she accepts communications from employees and advises them on questions of doubt.

"It's about removing the breeding ground for anti-constitutional efforts early on," Wöller argued last summer.

"The experience of the past few months simply shows that the misconduct of individuals can be enough to discredit the entire police or administrative area in the consciousness of the general public," emphasized Reiche.

The employee letter serves to raise the awareness of all employees again.

The focus would be on cases that are clearly not covered by the right to freedom of expression.

Anti-Semitic or xenophobic statements, the glorification of National Socialism or the use of forbidden right-wing extremist symbols, slogans or forms of greeting are unacceptable.

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“The employee letter also expresses the fact that the vast majority of employees are firmly committed to the Basic Law and are aware of their duty to be constitutional,” explained the press spokeswoman.

The aim is therefore also to protect colleagues as a whole from unjustified attacks and general suspicion through consistent action against extremist behavior on the part of individuals.

In the report of the MDR, the chairman of the police union in Saxony, Cathleen Martin, saw the colleagues under general suspicion.

She spoke of prejudice and breach of trust.