NRW Constitutional Security report presented

Positive Balance

[The whole Story]

Bonn, Germany
May 21, 1999
Bonner Rundschau Politik

by Gerlind Schaidt

Now and then a surprise surfaces in the Constitutional Security report. Such as the surveillance of Scientology has yielded that this group is no where near as threatening as was once assumed. For one thing it has much fewer members, for another is it far weaker financially than had been assumed.

With its ideology clearly counter to democracy and human rights, the group is still anti-constitutional, however, fears of its power are unfounded. Possibly the extensive public explanation of the Scientology methods have stemmed the tide. In any case, the findings are somewhat reassuring.

Less puzzling than alarming is the fact the the right-wing and the left-wing extremists have increased their use of the new media for advertisement. Primarily the right wing has kept the constitutional security agents busy. They skillfully use the borderless internet and operate from foreign countries. Difficult to criminally prosecute, they are guaranteed a flow of mainly younger people over the new, and therefore attractive, medium.

In the fiftieth year of its existence, the Constitutional Security agency in Nordrhein-Wesfalen can be satisfied, on the whole, with its accomplishments. Even the latest report clearly shows that the state is in the position to keep extremist movements under control. At the same time new challenges - such as the call to violence over the internet - make it clear that the Constitutional Security agency is still necessary today to protect our society from attacks both from within and without.