Ramping Up the Fight Against Youthful Extremist Violence
Radical youths show increasing signs of violent tendencies, according to Dobrindt's affirmation of extremist zeal. - Growing youth extremism may lead to increased violence, cautions Dobrindt
On a tense Tuesday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is set to unveil the 2024 Constitution Protection Report. Joining him at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin is Sinan Selen, Vice President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. German security agents have recently noticed a spike in right-wing extremist fueled crimes.
Dobrindt views this surge in political violence as "another indication that there's a destabilizing force in our society." He urges that "enlightenment against this extreme propaganda" can be most effectively provided by networks within cities and communities, such as schools, clubs, or youth centers. These entities are thought to be the best at sensing when a young person is veering towards extremism, and they wield the strongest influence over them.
Dobrindt acknowledges that the state must grapple with countering extremism "with outreach and enlightenment." Additionally, the government must tackle the problems plaguing young people. "Extremists identify a common enemy, young right-wing extremists present themselves as victims of a foreign threat," states the CSU politician. From this, "a determination to fight and aggression against this perceived danger, increasingly perpetrated via social platforms and the internet, emerges."
Quentin Gärtner, Federal Student Conference General Secretary, presses the federal government to take proactive steps to prevent right-wing extremist crimes in schools. "We expect more than symbolic school visits or mere empty promises from the new federal government," said Gärtner to web.de News. Measures such as "mandatory visits to memorial sites, not as a nice project idea, but as an essential educational goal" are demanded.
Bundesbildungsministerin Karin Prien (CDU) faced criticism from most of the federal states for this very proposal. Gärtner retorts that education about right-wing extremism should not only begin when the first threats are uttered or swastikas are spray-painted. Rather, it "must be a permanent part of teaching, from the outset."
Gärtner pleads for strengthened school social work and consistently funded projects against prejudice. "Schools must be a haven - not a breeding ground for right-wing slogans, anti-Semitism, or homophobia," emphasizes Gärtner. "But that’s exactly what's happening. More and more frequently. And more and more brazenly."
- Alexander Dobrindt
- Youth Violence
- CSU
- Community Engagement
- School Safety
- Extremism Education
- Societal Dialogue
- Prejudice Reduction
Alexander Dobrindt, the CSU politician, urges community engagement as a means to counter youthful extremist violence, believing that schools, clubs, and youth centers, which both sense the early signs of extremism and wield great influence over young people, should play a crucial role in enlightenment against extremism. The federal government is urged by Quentin Gärtner, Federal Student Conference General Secretary, to take proactive measures, such as strengthening school social work, consistently funded projects against prejudice, and making education about right-wing extremism a permanent part of teaching to ensure schools remain safe havens, not breeding grounds for extremism and prejudice.