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A year after the attack in Hanau, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for an intensified fight against right-wing extremism and racism and sharply attacked the AfD.
"Let us not leave the racist agitation unchallenged in the public and in our parliaments," said the SPD politician.
"The AfD as a spiritual arsonist has long been a case for the protection of the constitution, and at the same time we have to do everything we can to fight right-wing populists politically."
On Friday a year ago, 43-year-old German Tobias R. shot nine people with foreign roots in several places in Hanau, Hesse, before allegedly killing his mother and ultimately himself.
He had previously posted pamphlets and videos of conspiracy theories and racist views on the Internet.
The act had caused horror throughout Germany.
Nobody could say they didn't see Hanau coming, said Maas.
For years, the numbers from the secret service would speak for themselves.
Over 33,000 right-wing extremists live in Germany, 13,000 of whom are willing to use violence, and the number is rising.
“Why don't we all ring the alarm bells?” Asked the Foreign Minister.
"And how can it be that the bereaved are still complaining today about the disrespect and the bureaucratic coldness that the offices and authorities face against them?"
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Maas spoke of “daily racism in authorities and offices, in shops, in schools, buses and trains” that must be banned.
"The study decided by the federal government on extremism, anti-Semitism and racism in the police is at best a first step," he said.