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Frankfurt / Main (dpa / lhe) - The Response advice center for those affected by anti-Semitic, right-wing and racist violence repeatedly received reports of incidents or radicalization within the so-called Corona deniers during the corona pandemic.
The movement with supporters of the esoteric scene via conservative alternatives and opponents of vaccinations up to conspiracy ideologues holds "a dangerous potential for radicalization," said Roman Jeltsch, deputy head of Response, the German press agency.
For people who are already affected by racism or anti-Semitism, this is particularly threatening.
"After all, we know that right-wing assassins like those from Halle and Hanau also networked online and that their actions were confirmed on the basis of deadly ideologies and that they felt encouraged to do what they did."
In the past year, Response learned of ten cases in which people experienced anti-Semitic violence or anti-Asian racism in the context of the corona pandemic.
This has happened both at demonstrations and in public spaces such as train stations and supermarkets.
For example, those affected were referred to as "coronavirus", pushed, abused and threatened.
On the Internet and at anti-corona demos, posters and jackets with stars of David that were labeled “not vaccinated” were presented.
This kind of relativization of the Holocaust also met with sharp criticism from Jewish associations and organizations.
Maram Stern, Vice President of the World Jewish Congress, called it "particularly disgusting" in a statement when so-called corona deniers tried to claim a victim role for themselves that was equivalent to the victims of the Holocaust.
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The Anne Frank educational institution in Frankfurt has meanwhile expanded its digital training program to include the subject of conspiracy ideologies, as the educational director Saba-Nur Cheema reports.
“In the past few months, we have received many requests for advice from people who deal with corona deniers in their environment,” she said.
The concern was particularly great when there were reports from family members and friends who threatened to drift to the right.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210126-99-168936 / 2