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A week after the North Rhine-Westphalia police learned about the chat groups with far-right content, the authorities received information about new “border crossings” from officials. “We get a lot of tips from police circles or from citizens,” North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) told the “Welt” newspaper.
He appreciated this information, Reul emphasized. “Someone said: I was in a group chat like this for a long time and I watched idly. But now I’ll say it. Or a young woman reporting incidents during training. Let’s look at that now. That has nothing to do with treason, the minister said.
Police officers would have to intervene themselves if they found out that their colleagues had crossed borders; the police needed a culture of error. “Anyone who looks away is an accomplice,” Reul said.
Five chat groups with far-right content were discovered in the NRW police. So far, 30 police officers have been suspended from their duties. 14 will be permanently withdrawn from service. On the opening day, 16 September, Reul announced that the North Rhine-Westphalia police would prepare a situation report on right-wing extremism.
Based on the Basic Law
Reul sees a red line, “if an official no longer relies on the Basic Law in terms of his internal convictions. If he despises others. If he defames, if he is racist.” In addition to these actors, there would also be those who would tolerate such action.
In an interview with SPIEGEL, Reul referred to the fatal damage to the company’s image and its consequences for the police. “It broke a lot. Unfortunately, there will be people who will use this case as an excuse to behave indecently towards police officers. It will be more difficult for officers in dangerous situations.”
“The police are not structurally right-wing extremists”
The problem of far-right officers in the police is “quantitatively manageable”, but qualitatively “of course it is still worrisome because these people carry guns,” Reul said in an interview with “Die Welt.” But you can solve the problem without questioning the whole system. “The police are not structurally right wing extremists.”
When asked if he was afraid of more crime in his own ranks, Reul said: “I do not rule out that there are many more chats of this type “.
Central Council of German Sinti and Roma calls for investigation
The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma has called on the police to redouble their efforts against right-wing extremism. President Romani Rose came out in favor of a detailed investigation of right-wing extremist tendencies in the security authorities. It turned against the federal interior minister, Horst Seehofer (CSU), who rejects a study on racism among the police.
“As is often the case in the past, we are not allowed to look the other way just so that Germany does not receive negative attention abroad,” said Rose of the “Schwäbische Zeitung”.
