For several weeks there have been increasing attacks on refugee accommodations in Germany, most recently arson attacks in Krumbach (Bavaria), Bautzen (Saxony) and Groß Strömkendorf (Mecklenburg).

East Germany is once again a focus, where the risk of becoming a victim of a right-wing extremist attack is three times higher, said representatives of victims' counseling centers in Saxony and Thuringia on Thursday.

At the same time, they warned of "a new wave of right-wing violence" and further escalation.

Stephen Locke

Correspondent for Saxony and Thuringia based in Dresden.

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"What is looming is a situation like 2015/16," said Franz Zobel from the counseling center for victims of right-wing violence in Thuringia.

He observes a "closing ranks" of right-wing actors in order to exploit the multiple crises for the overthrow they are propagating.

The AfD is increasingly taking the lead, while the police and judiciary often remain inconsistent in their pursuit.

"Right-wing violent criminals feel encouraged by this."

Robert Kusche from the RAA victim counseling center in Saxony comes to a very similar conclusion.

He mentions several lawsuits against suspected right-wing extremists that Saxony's judiciary has been slow to process.

These included crimes in the right-wing extremist riots in Chemnitz in 2018, which have been charged but have not yet been terminated.

Leading role of the AfD in protests

Kusche also sees the AfD playing a leading role in the current protest.

Their representatives escalated in language, for example, which contributed to a heated atmosphere, especially at demonstrations.

A few days before the attack in Bautzen, the party had protested in front of the building against the planned asylum accommodation.

However, the radicalized rhetoric is not only directed against refugees, but also against state representatives and journalists, said Kusche.

As examples, he gave demonstration slogans such as "lying press in your face" or "You wouldn't be here without the police".

The social psychologist Pia Lamberty also stated that refugees are increasingly the focus of hate speech and violence.

She referred to the threat to Ukrainian war refugees and their helpers, which is exacerbated by Russian propaganda.

Russian disinformation campaigns would interact specifically with right-wing extremists in Germany and, keyword “social tourism” by Ukrainians, also get caught up with other politicians.

Lamberty is also a co-author of a recently published study on pro-Russian disinformation in society.

After that, approval ratings for pro-Russian conspiracy stories rose noticeably throughout Germany.

Almost every fifth of the 2,228 respondents in October agrees that the Russian attack is a reaction to NATO provocations without alternative.

18 percent believe that Putin is taking action against a global elite that is operating in the background.

These are almost twice as high as in April.

In the east, agreement with these statements is twice as high as in the west.