Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP 68 (1/2001)

Summaries

Why I am Opposed to Outlawing the NPD Despite Being Radically Opposed to this Party

by Wolf-Dieter Narr

You can't promote democracy by nullifying certain elements of it - for instance, by outlawing a political party. Outlawing the NPD will accomplish nothing in terms of overcoming its violence based on racist prejudices; this move is predominantly aimed at demonstrating to Germany's international partners that the mainstream parties in German society who have massively curtailed the rights of migrant persons and refugees on German soil are doing something to counter right-wing radicalism. Thus, the attempt to outlaw the party is symbolic politics and as such an abuse of the federal constitutional court.

Why I'm in Favor of Outlawing the NPD

by Annelie Buntenbach

Right-wing radicalism emanates from the very heart of our society and is buttressed by the official political strategies which marginalizes foreign nationals and refugees. For that reason outlawing the NPD will do nothing to confront the problem of right-wing violence. It does, however, make it impossible that Nazi ideologies can be propagated under the protection of those laws which grant political parties certain privileges in German society and provides them with a certain degree of state support. National socialism is an ideology of destruction. As great an ideal as freedom of opinion may be, it is not an absolute ideal and must be abrogated when it violates the freedom of others.

The Constitutional Guard's Contribution to Outlawing the NPD

by Heiner Busch

The grounds provided by the Constitutional Guard (i.e. the domestic intelligence service) in support of the application to outlaw the NPD are patterned after the grounds presented in the 50's in support the prohibition of Socialist Empire Party and the Communist Party which emphasized the ideological "values of the Constitution" and not the specific activities of the parties in reality. Consequently the NPD is evaluated on the basis of racist and anti-Semitic ideology. The very real violence of right-wing rowdies is not even cited in the underground reports as "official evaluations" of the agency.

Tracking Crimes with Right-wing Background

by Mark Holzberger

For a long time the federal government played down the figures on right-wing violent crimes. It was not until the Berlin local daily "Der Tagesspiegel" last year came up with its own report of a total of 93 such incidents the Federal Ministry of the Interior felt compelled to establish its own working group to develop new criteria for tracking such incidents. There is also some discussion of using agencies other than the police for the tracking task. To date it is completely unclear as to what shape and form such an agency could have.

The Police vs. Right-wing Radicals

by Martina Kant and Norbert Pütter

This survey article provides an overview of the reactions of the German police forces to right-wing radicalism and right-wing violence. This includes a description of the tactics developed to confront such activity which, in addition to the creation of special units, emphasizes targeted pursuit of such activities and bringing such to justice as well as the increased use of police controls aimed at the right-wing scene. In its "Campaign against the Right-wing" the police are availing themselves both of undercover tactics and pro-active methods.

Stricter Rights of Assembly

by Helmut Wolf

Making it easier to prohibit right-wing extremist assemblies is the key goal of proposals which have been developed by the CDU/CSU and the state governments of the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Mecklenburg-Pomerania. According to these proposals it would become possible to prohibit assemblies from taking place if they would diminish the dignity of certain locales or the reputation of the Federal Republic. However, the legislative cannot confront right-wing extremism by setting limits on the right of assembly. What is urgently needed is increased democratic activity on the part of the citizenry.

Last Exit on the Right

by Christine Hohmeyer

The federal government is planning to implement a program to assist members of right-wing extremist groups in leaving the right-wing scene. Yet despite the fact that the announcement has generated considerable discussion in the public sphere, little more than the vaguest contours have become perceptible as of yet.

Private Security Services and the Police

by Thomas Brunst and Jürgen Korell

The private security service branch has grown enormously over the past several years. Private security services are increasingly and consistently expanding their responsibilities in the public sphere. Security partnerships between the German rail system and the Federal Border Guard and agreements between the police and the Association of Security Service Organizations do little more than to formalize and regulate the exchange of information between both sides.

"And Try to Make a Plan..."

by Heiner Busch

The Swiss Federal Police Agency has been given a new organization with the commencement of the new year. As a replacement for the "federal police" who were predominantly responsible for state security and the "central criminal police services", there now exist a new "Service for Analysis and Prevention" and a "federal crime police force". The latter will ultimately be staffed with a personnel strength of 1.000 persons.