Free Republic

The German government has announced a package of legal measures aimed at fighting right-wing extremism. It comes after weeks of demonstrations against the far-right swept through German towns and cities. Throughout January, hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of German life took to the streets to protest against far-right extremism. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the protests had been "an encouragement and a mandate" to act politically... Ms. Faeser said the 13-point plan would right-wing extremism, which she described as the biggest threat facing German society. Proposals include new laws that make it easier to freeze bank accounts...

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser dismissed Arne Schoenbohm as head of the BSI agency, following reports which "damaged the necessary confidence of the public in the neutrality and impartiality" of his management, the ministry said on Tuesday.... The Cyber Security Council Germany, which Mr Schoenbohm chaired until he became the head of the BSI in 2016, was prone to influence from Russian companies and even the Kremlin’s intelligence agencies, the report said. German media have reported that one of its members was a German company that is a subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm founded by a former KGB agent, which...

Germany’s top security officials announced a 10-point plan Tuesday to combat far-right extremism in the country that includes disarming about 1,500 suspected extremists and tightening background checks for those wanting to acquire guns. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the far right poses the biggest extremist threat to democracy in Germany and said authorities would seek to tackle the issue through prevention and tough measures. “We want to destroy far-right extremist networks,” Faeser told reporters in Berlin, saying this included targeting financial flows that benefit such groups, including merchandising businesses, music festivals and martial arts events. Authorities will work to remove...