Germany's domestic intelligence agency yesterday warned of a new form of far-right terrorism in the country. Stephan Kramer, head of domestic intelligence agency in Thuringia, said recent investigations have shown that far-right groups are becoming increasingly violent.
"There is a growing affinity with physical training, combat sports and shooting exercises. This shows that they are more inclined towards violence," he told media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, as reported by Reuters.
German police arrested 7 far-right extremists this week in the eastern city of Chemnitz on suspicion of plotting terror attacks against foreigners and political opponents. They were suspected of founding a terror group named "Revolution Chemnitz," which according to the police, planned a sensational terror act on Oct. 3, Germany's national unity day.
About 500 far-right protesters rallied in front of Berlin's main railway station on the same day, waving national flags, chanting anti-immigration slogans and demanding Chancellor Angela Merkel's resignation. Nearby in central Berlin, a similar number of people joined a counter-rally chanting "There is no right to Nazi propaganda." A major anti-racism rally was also held in the southern German city of Munich.
Merkel's decision in 2015 to admit more than a million migrants and asylum seekers, mostly Muslims fleeing conflicts in the Middle East, has deeply split Germans, on the day of German Unity when the four-decade division into communist east and capitalist west ended.
Tensions in eastern Germany have been running especially high since the fatal stabbing of a German man by two migrants from the Middle East in August, which triggered weeks of protests and counter-protests and prompted deep soul-searching among Germans.
