Germany plans drive to eliminate right-wing extremism

The German government has announced a series of measures to tackle right-wing extremists, including removing their weapons and ousting them from jobs in public service, reported dpa.

Under a plan presented by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in Berlin on Tuesday, the authorities will also start to target the financing of extremist groups in a more coordinated fashion.

"We want to dismantle right-wing extremist networks ... We will identify and dry up the financial activities of right-wing extremist networks," the plan said.

Important sources of income for right-wing extremists are said to include festivals, martial arts events and the sale of clothing.

In order to make faster progress in removing weapons from right-wing extremists, Faeser said she planned to create a new forum where the domestic intelligence agency, the weapons authorities and the police can exchange information "with the involvement of the administrative courts."

Currently, about 1,500 suspected right-wing extremists have a weapons permit.

In order to identify right-wing extremists in public service jobs more quickly, the Social Democrat minister said she planned to set up a coordination and counselling office within the domestic intelligence agency, officially called the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

Anyone who observes "radicalization due to a growing belief in conspiracy" among colleagues should in future have one office to go to with the issue, she said. This would "ideally initiate a deradicalization process."