Germany investigating complaints of far-right extremism among its police officers

A neo-Nazi rally in Dresden, eastern Germany. AFP/file

At least 40 new cases of far-right extremism among Germany’s police forces are being investigated, according to an investigation by German media.

Details of the new allegations come after far-right extremism was identified as the country's being security threat and an elite unit within Germany’s Special Commando Forces (KSK) was formally disbanded because its members were found to hold extreme, far-right views.

Germany has about 300,000 police officers in various states and federal agencies.

Of the 40 complaints, initiated in the first six months of 2020, of alleged extremism, the largest share was 17 at the Interior Ministry of Hesse state, dpa news agency reported.

There were six cases in Saxony state and another five in Saxony-Anhalt, and three more complaints among federal police officers.

In July, the KSK was disbanded after a whistle-blower wrote to German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer about its “toxic culture of acceptance”.

The elite unit, formed in 1996, had been dogged by accusations of far-right ties since 2003, when its commander was forced into retirement because of connections to the radical right.

The KSK has fought in operations in Afghanistan and the Balkans but its missions are secret.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency also warned this year that far-right terrorism was the country’s biggest security policy challenge.

The BfV agency said there were 32,080 right-wing extremists in Germany last year, an increase of nearly 8,000 from 2018.

About 13,000 are believed to be ready to use violence, up 300 from 2018, the report said. The number includes about 7,000 youth members of the Alternative for Germany party and a radical faction known as The Wing.