'Germany has a terrorism problem,' says foreign minister
June 22, 2019
Germany should have a weekly protest against right-wing extremism similar to "Fridays for Future," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said. He claimed that far too often, Germans turn a blind eye to right-wing terrorism.
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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has called for protests against right-wing extremism, claiming in an op-ed published in the Saturday edition of Bild newspaper that Germany "has a terrorism problem."
"Eighty years after the beginning of World War II, politicians have again become victims of right-wing terrorists. Because of their beliefs. Because of their commitment to our country," Maas wrote.
"All this shows what many still close their eyes to even now: Germany has a terrorism problem."
Maas proposed a Thursday protest for democracy, similar to the "Fridays for future" climate change protest, where Germans "show that we are more than right-wing radicals, anti-Semites and dividers."
In the past 10 years, there have been numerous attacks targeting Muslim and Jewish communities, as well as people of color. DW examines some of the world's major right-wing extremist terror attacks.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/PA Wire/D. Lawson
Germany 2009: Stabbing of woman in Dresden court
Marwa El-Sherbini, a pharmacist who lived with her husband and son in Dresden, was killed in Dresden's district court on July 1, 2009. She was stabbed by a 28-year-old Russian-German man shortly after testifying against him in a verbal abuse case. He'd previously called her a "terrorist" and "Islamist." El-Sherbini is considered to be the first murder victim of an Islamophobic attack in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hiekel
Norway 2011: Mass murderer Breivik carries out terror attacks
Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in two lone-wolf terror attacks on July 22, 2011. He first set off a bomb in the government district in Oslo before killing young people attending a summer camp on the island of Utoya. Prior to the attack, Breivik published a manifesto where he decried multiculturalism and the "Islamization of Europe."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Berit
USA 2015: Chapel Hill shooting
Three university students — Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha — were shot dead by their 46-year-old neighbor on February 10, 2015. The shooter described himself as an opponent of organized religion and reportedly repeatedly threatened and harassed the victims. The killings sparked outrage online, with millions of tweets using the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter.
On June 17, 2015, a white supremacist opened fire at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine African-American worshipers were killed, including a pastor at the church, which is one of the oldest black congregations in the United States. The 21-year-old suspect was convicted of a federal hate crime and sentenced to death.
Image: Getty Images/J. Raedle
Germany 2016: Mass shooting in Munich
A mass shooting at a shopping mall in Munich on July 22, 2016 wounded some 36 people and killed 10 — including the 18-year-old shooter. The perpetrator, a German of Iranian descent, made xenophobic and racist comments and idolized school shooters, according to police. He also suffered from depression, was frequently bullied and wanted to take revenge on people with immigrant backgrounds.
Image: Getty Images/J. Simon
UK 2017: Attack on Finsbury Park mosque
On June 19, 2017, a 47-year-old man killed one person and wounded another 10 after driving a van into a group of pedestrians near the Finsbury Park mosque in north London. All of the victims were Muslims who were on their way to take part in special night prayers during Ramadan. The perpetrator later stated that he was motivated by a "hatred of Islam" and was sentenced to life in prison.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/F. Augstein
USA 2017: Car attack during neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville
One woman was killed and dozens were wounded when a white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017. The counterprotesters had been demonstrating against the Unite the Right rally, a gathering of white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. The suspect was sentenced to life in prison.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P.J. Richards
Canada 2017: Attack on mosque in Quebec
A gunman opened fire on worshipers at the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City in late January 2017, killing six people and wounding over a dozen. The shooting took place during evening prayers. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the shooting as "a terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge."
Image: Reuters/M. Belanger
USA 2018: Tree of Life Synagogue shooting
On October 27, 2018, a 46-year-old gunman opened fire at a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and wounding seven. He reportedly shouted anti-Semitic slurs during the attack and previously posted conspiracy theories online. It was the deadliest attack on Jewish people in US history.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/M. Rourke
Germany 2019: New Year's attack in Bottrop and Essen
Shortly after midnight as people were out celebrating, a 50-year-old man carried out targeted attacks on immigrants in the western German cities of Bottrop and Essen — injuring eight people, one seriously. He deliberately drove his car at two Syrian and Afghan families who were out celebrating with their children in Bottrop. German authorities said "he had a clear intent to kill foreigners."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kusch
New Zealand 2019: Twin terror attacks on mosques in Christchurch
At least 50 people were killed and dozens others were injured in twin terror attacks at mosques in Christchurch. Officials called it a "right-wing extremist attack" and the deadliest shooting in New Zealand's history. One of the gunmen livestreamed the attack and posted a racist manifesto online before the attack. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it "one of New Zealand's darkest days."
Image: picture-alliance/empics/PA Wire/D. Lawson
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'Terror is terror'
Maas said Germany had more than 12,000 violent right-wing extremists, but 450 of them were able to stay underground "even though they are wanted with an arrest warrant."
The German foreign minister said that Germans turn a blind eye to right-wing attacks and that right-wing terrorism should be identified as such.
"Far too often, there has been talk of 'individual cases' or 'rampages' when it comes to attacks from the right," Maas said. "Terror is terror. There is nothing to relativize."
Maas called on Germans, as advocates of democracy, to "draw clear boundaries," saying that "democracy dies with indifference."
Also on Saturday, the Tagezeitung newspaper published the names of 195 people who had died as a result of right-wing violence in Germany since 1990. The list appeared on the publication's front page with the headline: "Lübcke is not an isolated case."
On Thursday, German politicians expressed outrage over death threats received by multiple politicians, including Mayors Reker and Hollstein. Police say the threats likely also stem from right-wing extremists.
Last month, Germany's Interior Ministry revealed that politically motivated crimes in Germany decreased for the second straight year in 2018. However, it found a rise in anti-Semitic and xenophobic hate crimes, mostly committed by right-wing perpetrators.