How serious is "left-wing" violence in Germany? Recently Der Spiegel reported on a new study by the Verfassungsschutz (Federal Agency for Protection of the Constitutiom). The data show an alarming increase in both left- and right-wing acts of violence in Germany:
rechtsextreme Autonome bereiten den Sicherheitsbehörden wachsende
Probleme. Die Gewaltbereitschaft in beiden Lagern nimmt dramatisch zu. (For the police there is virtually no difference: leftist and right-wing extremists are a growing concern for law enforcment officials. The willingness of both camps to engage in acts of violence is growing dramatically.)
Each week the neo-fascist paper Junge Freiheit complains that the media and politicians in Germany do not take left-wing violence seriously, while they print sensational pieces on neo-Nazis and skin-head violence.
vor. Gewalt von Linksextremisten werde hingegen verharmlost. (The officials in Berlin took extraordinarily harsh measures against those on the right. Violence from the left is downplayed.)
A look at the official statistics shows that in 2008 there were nearly 20,000 criminal acts associated with right-wing groups in 2008, while only 3,000 were attibruted to left-wing groups. To be sure, many of the right-wing crimes were "propaganda" related, such as displaying the swastika which is illegal in Germany. Still, right-wing extremists committed nearly 900 acts of violent assault on people, resulting in 2 deaths. Many of these were random attacks on "foreigners"; most of the 350 assaults committed by the left were from confrontations and brawls with neo-Nazis.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung examined the public's apparent greater acceptance of left-wing violence, which is usually directed against property rather than human beings: Nehmen wir linke Gewalt nicht ernst genug? / Should we be more concerned with left-wing violence?
Gesellschaft eine größere Akzeptanz für linke Straftaten zu geben.
Vielleicht weil der Rechtsextremismus immer eine exklusive, altbackene
und hässliche Komponente besitzt und wir mit der Linken eher Anti-AKW
und Friedensbewegung assoziieren. Vielleicht, weil wir bei rechten
Anschlägen eher an brennende Menschen als an brennende Autos denken. ( The centrist view apparently is more accepting of left-wing criminal acts. Perhaps this is because right-wing extremism is often xenophobic and ugly while we associate the left with the anti-nuke and peace movement. Maybe it's because with respect to right-wing attacks we are more inclined to think of burning human beings instead of burning autos.)
wing long ago accepted a foundational narrative that justifies
violence. Now, the leaders of the movement are inciting their followers
to take many (if not most) of the intermediate steps that signal a
group actively gearing up for violence. From this point, it's only a
short slide to further separation, disengagement, and finally
confrontation. What we've seen so far has been intense and surprising
— but we should also recognize it as the first warning gusts of a
rapidly gathering storm."
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Which is why I give my money for good causes to Planned Parenthood and the Southern Poverty Law Center!