Amid reports of right-wing extremist activity in the German police and armed forces, radical groups are said to be preparing a coup against the government. The federal Interior Ministry has promised to crack down on right-wing groups.
Concerns are growing about reports of right-wing extremist activity in the German police and armed forces -- but senior officers and politicians seem reluctant to deal with the situation.
Journalist Dirk Laabs has found evidence that far-right conspirators illegally received ammunition from government warehouses, stockpiled weapons, and made concrete plans for a coup attempt -- to be known as "Day X."
The attempt was supposedly to be carried out during a time of national emergency -- like the current coronavirus crisis. Some domestic security experts, including the Left Party’s Martina Renner, are worried about these developments. Renner says this may be the moment that the alleged plotters were waiting for.
In June 2019, several current and former officers of an elite police unit in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were arrested, suspected of supplying one of these far-right conspirators with large quantities of ammunition. Investigators say that the ammo came from military and police units from all over Germany, including the states of Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. Authorities in those two states have not yet been able to explain how the ammunition ended up in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Fears about right-wing activity among the German police and military have been growing for years. In December 2019, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced plans to expand and strengthen federal police agencies that are involved in the effort to combat right-wing extremism and terrorism.
Detective Sergeant Paul Milner is adjusting to life as Foyle's assistant after losing his leg at Trondheim. He is drawn to the oration of the charismatic Guy Spencer (Charles Dance), a prominent member of the pro-Hitler organisation, The Friday Club.
In 1968, English politician Enoch Powell delivered a controversial speech known as Rivers of Blood, in which he predicted that the UK’s immigration policy would result in violence on the streets of Britain. It is among the best-known speeches in the British political history. However, what dominated the discussion most was the incendiary nature of his language. This documentary examines the effect of this speech on the country’s immigration policy.
Rivers of Blood examines Powell’s character and the notions of his speech. It shows how it bitterly divided the entire nation at a time when Powell was a member of Prime Minister Edward Heath’s cabinet. Due to its inflammatory nature, Powell was dismissed by the political establishment who considered it racist and divisive, and his sacking sparked furious debate. The documentary traces the effects of Powell’s address on immigration law in Britain. On its 40th anniversary, it digs deeper into the controversial claims and counter-claims surrounding Enoch Powell.
In a two-part investigation, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit goes undercover to expose France’s far-right and reveals secret links between violent extremists and one of France’s biggest political parties. Marine Le Pen recently changed the name of the National Front as part of efforts to reform the party’s image and make it more acceptable to French voters. However, an al Jazeera reporter uncovers close connections between senior politicians in Le Pen’s party and Generation Identity (GI), a far-right youth movement dedicated to expelling Muslims from Europe. GI militants are secretly filmed carrying out racist beatings and performing Nazi salutes. Aurelien Verhassel, the leader of GI branch in the French city of Lille, has convictions for violence but still recruits far-right activists to work in political posts for Le Pen’s party. Elected members of Le Pen’s party in the European Parliament are also caught declaring their support for Generation Identity and its anti-Muslim policies.