In Germany, minors arrested for attacking asylum seekers
Suspected members of the neo-Nazi cell Letzte Verteidigungswelle were arrested by German authorities on Wednesday, May 21. Their unique feature? Their young age at the time of the alleged crimes. As the German press notes, far-right networks are now recruiting minors on social media.
“They are young, radical, and ready to fight.” On Wednesday, May 21, suspected members of the neo-Nazi network Letzte Verteidigungswelle (literally “Last Wave of Defense”) have been arrested by German authorities, reports Der Spiegel . They are accused, among other things, of taking part in attacks on several refugee and asylum seeker accommodation centers in Thuringia and Brandenburg, two regions in the east of the country.
Three other adult members of Letzte Verteidigungswelle were already in custody before the May 21 operation. However, the age of those arrested this Wednesday is not older than 18. The youngest is 14. And all the suspects were minors at the time of the alleged offenses.
For Spiegel , this is not surprising:
“For a year, the group of young neo-Nazis has been recruiting on social media – Instagram, TikTok, Telegram.”
And Letzte Verteidigungswelle isn't the only movement using this tactic. “There are a number of other groups on the networks, with evocative names: 'Young and Strong,' 'The Agitators,' 'German Youth Above All.'”
The arrest of the members of Letzte Verteidigungswelle is part of a broader context of a rise in right-wing extremism. It even comes a day after the publication of a report warning of this phenomenon. “The figures presented Tuesday in Berlin are alarming,” assures the Frankfurter Rundschau . “The Federal Criminal Police Office recorded an increase of almost 50% in crimes linked to the extreme right, with nearly 43,000 offenses.”
Added to this are the “numerous acts that are not counted in this category by the police” and which are perpetrated by members of conspiracy movements close to neo-Nazi and nationalist circles, such as the Citizens of the Reich (Reichsbürger, monarchists who do not recognize the institutions of the Federal Republic), or the corona-sceptic activists of the Querdenker movement.
Faced with this phenomenon, the German government has pledged to act. But the Frankfurt newspaper calls for rapid results. “The good news is that some people continue to fight valiantly against the far right. And they could really use some real support from Berlin.”
