Germany: Police union stokes fear of left-wing extremists

[Silent Reader]

since it is a popular topic at least amongst the German members ;)


Police union stokes fear of left-wing extremists

Published: 22 Aug 09 14:00 CET

The German Police Union has warned of an increasingly violent extreme-left scene, which it claims is likely to start attacking politicians just as the now defunct Red Army Faction (RAF) did in the past.

Rainer Wendt, head of the union, told the website of daily paper Bild: “It is only a question of time before violent left-wingers attack a politician.”

He said the level of violence shown among left-wing activists was increasing. “The entire appearance of the new violent left-wing criminals is like the spirit of the RAF and their fight against the German state.”

But his comments were firmly contradicted by the Interior Ministry, from which a spokesman said: “There is no current knowledge of the existence of a left-wing terrorist organisation.”

He also said that, “Crimes with the aim of assassinating people,” were considered to be, “unlikely.”

But Wendt said he was convinced of the threat. “Those who do not stop at arson attacks on cars and houses, and throw Molotov cocktails at policemen, they see the lives of people as cheap,” he said.

He added that there were clear parallels to the RAF heydays in the 1970s. “The willingness to use violence, the hatred of the state and the social-revolutionary ideals of the violent left-wingers are the same,” he said. “And the methods such as arson attacks are the same as the RAF.” DDP/The Local thelocal.de (http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090822-21425.html)


also:


Hannover. Nach dem versuchten Brandanschlag vor einem großen Bundeswehrfest in Hannover hat die Polizei einen Linksextremisten als mutmaßlichen Täter ermittelt. Die Fahnder prüfen, ob der bereits wegen politisch motivierter Straftaten bekannte 22-Jährige noch Mittäter gehabt habe, teilte die Polizei mit. Mit zwei Eimern, die mit Brandbeschleuniger gefüllt waren, war vor gut einer Woche versucht worden, einen Pavillon im Stadtpark anzuzünden, wo die 1. Panzerdivision Ende August mit viel Prominenz ihren Sommer-Biwak feiert. Die Zündvorrichtungen wurden zwar angesengt, hatten die Eimer aber nicht entzündet.

abendblatt.de (http://www.abendblatt.de/region/norddeutschland/article1150504/Anschlag-auf-Bundeswehr-Linksextremist-gefasst.html)

police arrested a 22 year old left-winger who tried to use two buckets of fire accelerant last week on a(n empty) pavilion which was to be used by the German army for a festivity

[Weasel]

A threat? Yes. But this is a bit too much of speculation.
"Rainer Wendt, head of the union, told the website of daily paper Bild: “It is only a question of time before violent left-wingers attack a politician.”Good enough for a Bild brainfart, not more.

[LineDoggie]

What are the Statistics? is there an increase in Left Wing Violence?

[little icebear]

What are the Statistics? is there an increase in Left Wing Violence?

Depends on what you want to consider as politically motivated violence...

Muck would say "yes". I say "leftist terrorism" is as much of a problem as soccer hooligans. It is mainly vandalism.

A new "RAF" on the horizon? I don´t think so.

[zad]

We have to make a difference between some punks who think that get drunk and throw a molotov and burn a garbage bin are revolutionary acts and legitimate political parties like Die Linke and the DKP.

and now lets all stand up and sing Die Internationale comrades!!!

http://www.youtube.com/v/3z6VB6-B86s

[Silent Reader]

We have to make a difference between some punks who think that get drunk and throw a molotov and burn a garbage bin are revolutionary acts and legitimate political parties like Die Linke and the DKP.




a few days ago i watched a youtube video where someone put together a slideshow with all the current campaign posters of the MLPD (Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany)... and one of the comments to the vid was that they have more campaign posters then members :D

[zad]

a few days ago i watched a youtube video where someone put together a slideshow with all the current campaign posters of the MLPD (Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany)... and one of the comments to the vid was that they have more campaign posters then members :D

What can you expect of a bunch of maoist? cough* revisionists! cough* cough* p-)

[JCR]

I think there are more left wing parties than leftists in Germany, and I say that as a left leaning guy.
It is a bit like in Life of Brian.

But he's pretty much wrong. We don't have a broad cause to demonstrate against like Vietnam, we don't have a student movement (there is one, but it isn't communist) and if all those leninist/syndicalist/maoist/trotskyist/whateverist (there are even some who admire North Korea) would really try taking up the armed fight, they would most likely debate over it for ten years and then adjourn the matter for the next meeting where it is forgotten.
A bunch of drunken punks torching Bundeswehr cars is not a leftist terror organisation.


But re the Police union interview, there are two police unions, the GDP and the DPolG.
The latter is only half the size of the former (180.000 vs 80.000 members), and criminal investigators and federal police have their own unions (!).

What exactly the difference is and why there are two different unions I don't know. There are serving german police officers here who might know.
From what I know, the GDP seems to be more liberal (In 2003, GDP organized officers actually joined student demonstrations in Hesse) while DPolG seems more "law and order" like.
The very fact that a union boss uses Bild looks to me as if DPolG is more right leaning.
Perhaps the police unions work like the leftist movements as well: "the real enemy is not the criminal. It is the other union!"
:)


Also, why does 1st Panzer Division has to make a barbecue for VIPs and even call it a "summer biwak"??
Sorry, but during my time I always hated this "der Kongress tanzt" mentality many senior officers had. I suppose most of those party lions carefully skirt Afghanistan. This mentality breeds things like Generals leading UN missions from their notebook on vacation or flying in 3 cooks because Souda bay didn't offer the right kind of luxury for them.

[tluassa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPNin0-dLVE

Sie hat uns alles gegeben, Sonne und Wind und Regen, sie geizte nie ^^ :)

This song is indeed more Ironic than even Nazi Songs about Freedom ...

[muck]

Good enough for a Bild brainfart, not more.That's pretty low. Just because this guy gave an interview to BILD, it doesn't mean that he's automatically wrong. I know it's just a tabloid but how on earth does this fact degrade his statements?

Depends on what you want to consider as politically motivated violence...

Muck would say "yes". I say "leftist terrorism" is as much of a problem as soccer hooligans. It is mainly vandalism.

A new "RAF" on the horizon? I don´t think so.I appreciate being seen as a lone warrior against leftist extremism! p-)

Indeed I would call it terrorism. Not because the radical left wing would consist of organized terrorist groups but for they commit or promote violence in order to reach their goals, using terrorist measures. It doesn't matter at all if they're leftists or Nazis or ecofreaks, this is just terrorism in my eyes.

Mr Wendt does rightfully warn against a resurgent leftist violence in Germany. Although Nazis are far worse in public reception, it is a matter of fact that leftists commit more crimes. Most of them are directly targeted against the government and it's institutions, that's why most people feel like their lives were not affected by leftist violence contrary to Nazi violence which seems to be happening right in the middle of the society. They fail to see that both groups commit acts which are directed against democracy.

When leftists set fire to a rich man's residence and Neonazis do the same to a Kebab House - what exactly is the difference?

The German statistics on political violence are willfully falsified by the government.

No, this is no tinfoil hat assumption but a matter of fact.

For some odd reason, someone decided that not all crimes committed by radical leftists were "extremist" but all crimes committed by Nazis were. That's why the official statistics come up with only sevenhundredandsome leftist violent crimes and only the small print reveals that the numbers were higher.

Leftists committed 1.188 violent crimes in Germany during the last year and Neonazis score 1.113 violent crimes.

That being said, the authorities admit that there are much fewer leftist extremist activists than Neonazis in Germany. So it's valid to say that leftist extremists are much more dangerous.

[quinsen]

When leftists set fire to a rich man's residence and Neonazis do the same to a Kebab House - what exactly is the difference?
The media outrage!

[little icebear]

That being said, the authorities admit that there are much fewer leftist extremist activists than Neonazis in Germany. So it's valid to say that leftist extremists are much more dangerous.

Again, it boils down to the definition of what a leftist extremist and what a neo-nazi is... Is a punk who decided to throw a trashbin through the window of a shopping center a leftist extremist or is just a moron who had to much beer during the course of a demonstration?

Is it just vandalism or is it politically motivated *cough* terrorism?

As for your rather extreme example of arson - it´s not as if leftists burn down houses on a regular basis. In fact the only thing that comes to mind are a couple of burned cars in Berlin...

Terrorists kill people. Terrorists are planting bombs. Haven´t had much of that recently, have we?
Of course you can start to call people who spray "Friede den Hütten, Krieg den Palästen" onto the next wall terrorists as well. p-)