Strengthen Civil Society Structures against Nazis
Halina Wawzyniak, Deputy Chairperson of DIE LINKE, on the current demands of CDU politicians to fight rightwing extremist terror:
The new findings on the violent crimes of the so called National Socialist Underground have apparently triggered fresh attempts among the Christian Democratic/Christian Social Unions to bolster the security state. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU) holds forth on compiling a central neo-Nazi file and his party colleague Hans-Peter Uhl calls for data retention. Yet none of these measures is capable of stopping the inhuman ideology of the Nazis and their violent excesses.
It is imperative to clarify the role of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. It is to be assumed that its members were in the forefront of supporting those acts of violence. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution has become autonomous and is practically uncontrollable. Therefore, DIE LINKE in its election manifesto and Party Programme calls for dissolving this office in perspective.
Combating the inhuman ideology and violence emanating from the Nazis requires the adequate funding of civil society projects against rightist activity. These are rendering help, working to increase public awareness and provide counselling on a local level. Using the extremism clause for impeding their work would be the most foolish thing to do. DIE LINKE is well aware that anti-fascist commitment is a daily task concerning all of us.