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Out of the 363 investigations into right-wing extremism conducted in 2019 – the majority of them triggered by xenophobic or anti-foreigner rhetoric, often posted on social media – 8 individuals were labelled ‘red’ and 27 others were labelled ‘orange’. The increased presence of, and media attention focused on, emerging ethno-national and identitarian groups in Germany is also cited as a reason for the increased scrutiny. This is explained by the report as being partly due to additional public scrutiny in 2019 this may be a reference to the Halle synagogue shooting or other highly salient events outside of Germany, such as the New Zealand Christchurch mosque shootings. Compared to the previous three years, the number of investigations into right-wing extremism within the Bundeswehr also increased in 2019. A designation of ‘red’ or ‘orange’ should lead to an individual’s removal from the German armed forces.Īs the report highlights, in 2019, a total of 482 investigations into cases of potentially extremist personnel were launched, of which 75 percent focused on individuals believed to have links to right-wing extremism. On the other hand, service personnel found to have credible extremist attitudinal orientations are labelled ‘red’ or ‘orange’ if their loyalty to German democratic values is deemed questionable. Following an investigation, individuals cleared of wrongdoing are assigned the colour ‘green’, and deemed suitable for continued service. Individual under suspicion are labelled ‘yellow’. The report relies on MAD’s innovative ‘colour indication’ (Farbenlehre) sanction scheme, which categorizes service personnel based on an assessment of their potential links with extremism (whether it be right-wing, Islamic, ‘diaspora-based’, Reich Citizens’/sovereign citizens movements, or left-wing extremism). One recent example typifying this was the arrest of Franco Albrecht in April 26, 2017, on suspicion of plotting a ‘false flag’ attack in an effort to stir anti-refugee sentiment. Released earlier last week, the report comes at the same time as increasing calls for transparency about radical right attitudes within the Bundeswehr – as well as their traditions in relations to Wehrmacht (the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany). Within this context, the German Military Counterintelligence Service’s (Militärischer Abschirmdienst MAD) first ever report on extremism within the German Federal Defence Force (Bundeswehr) is highly significant. Finally, and as recently as last week, German police seized weapons and explosives at the home of a special forces soldiers believed to harbor radical right-wing beliefs.
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Moreover, and over in Germany, authorities uncovered a plot by a covert network of some 200 neo-Nazi far-right soldiers and veterans of an elite commando unit to murder left-wing politicians and asylum seekers. Notably, in recent years, four serving members of the British Armed Forces were recently arrested under anti-terror laws on suspicion of being members of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action. In the immediate aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, the threat posed by military personnel in radical right groups quickly became apparent to policy makers and military leaders worldwide before being eclipsed by the event of September 11 and the resultant ‘Global War on Terror.’ While this phenomenon has attracted little scholarly attention, with the notable exception of Daniel Koehler’s fantastic report on the issue, it appears that this overlap has plagued nearly every NATO Member country.