Interior Minister Georg Maier also sees society as having a duty in the fight against right-wing extremist music events. “We are exhausting everything that is possible under the rule of law,” said the SPD politician in an interview with the German Press Agency. But that alone is not enough. That's why he's calling for a law to promote democracy.
This was intended to provide financial support for civil society initiatives that offered local resistance to right-wing extremist events. As an example, he referred to the Veßra Monastery Alliance for Democracy and Cosmopolitanism.
The background to Maier's statements are figures for concerts by the right-wing extremist scene, which emerge from a response from the federal government to a small question from Mandy Eißing and other left-wing members of the Bundestag.
An inn as a headquarters for right-wing extremist music events
Accordingly, most of the openly announced right-wing extremist music events took place in Thuringia in the first half of the year. Of the 79 concerts and recitals of this type across Germany to date, 51 took place in Thuringia alone.
The local focus of these song evenings is a small community in the Hildburghausen district. There in the municipality of Auengrund in the Brattendorf district, a right-wing extremist who is known nationwide primarily as an organizer of scene concerts runs an inn. Relevant artists and groups perform there regularly.
Maier also names the inn as a contact point for the scene itself, for guests from Switzerland and Austria, for example. There are concerts there almost every weekend. “The innkeeper doesn’t hold these as political meetings, but rather as entertainment events in a closed room,” says Maier.
A task force advises the affected community on how to issue abandonment notices, the police are present at the events, check whether the requirements are being met and carry out checks when the guests arrive.
However, all of these measures are only of limited use if the local people seem to be lacking awareness of the problem: “The place is full of good people from around the corner: As long as the regional population regularly visits this restaurant and holds family celebrations there, it will remain difficult,” emphasized Maier.
The police recorded a total of 130 right-wing extremist music events throughout Germany in the first half of the year. This also includes concerts that were announced and prepared conspiratorially, but which nevertheless became known to the authorities.
Thuringia was also ahead last year
“Right-wing extremist concerts are important tools for financing, networking and recruiting for the right-wing scene. “It is particularly problematic when permanent structures and real estate can be established,” said Mandy Eißing, looking at the numbers. “The fact that Thuringia is at the top nationwide shows how firmly anchored these structures are. It is not enough to prevent individual concerts. We have to deprive them of space, infrastructure and young talent,” is the demand of the left-wing politician.
Last year, too, most of the openly announced right-wing music events took place in Thuringia - with more than 80 of around 200 across Germany.
