Extremism debate in the state parliament: Dangers for our democracy in focus!

Extremism debate in the state parliament: Dangers for our democracy in focus!

The Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament held a debate on extremism and its threats to democracy and parliamentarism on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. The focus of the discussion was the current report for the protection of the constitution, which states that both right-wing extremism and Islamism represent the greatest threats to the basic democratic order in Rhineland-Palatinate. The SPD parliamentary group in particular discussed the alarming data from the report presented by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution for 2024.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimated the right-wing extremist potential at 50,250, which means an increase of 10,000 people compared to the previous year. Around 15,300 of these people are considered violent, an increase of around 1,000. Left-wing extremism is also described as increasingly violent, with a potential population of 38,000, including 11,200 violent extremists. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described certain extremists as particularly dangerous and pointed to the risk of a “new left-wing terrorism” that could further endanger security. In addition, the threat from Islamist terrorism is assessed as high, particularly for Israeli and Jewish targets, with a potential population of around 28,280.

New legislative proposals and measures

As part of the debate, a draft law was also discussed that aims to cut off state funds to employees of members of parliament or parliamentary groups who are unconstitutional. This bill will be officially introduced on Thursday by the traffic light coalition and the CDU parliamentary groups. Another important topic are planned new laws, including the Fire and Disaster Protection Act, which introduces full-time fire and disaster control inspectors, as well as an amendment to the state law on higher education regulations, which provides for the abolition of second degree fees.

At the same time, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned of increasing espionage and foreign influence, particularly by Russia, China, Iran and Turkey. Particularly alarming is the increase in evidence of Russian sabotage in recent years, while the surveillance of the right-wing extremist Compact magazine, which is considered a suspected case, is the focus of a legal dispute. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution decided to ban Compact in July 2024, but this is currently temporarily suspended.

The results of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution illustrate the urgency with which politicians must respond to these challenges. The state parliament in Rhineland-Palatinate is taking the issue seriously and is trying to find a suitable response to the increasing threat of extremism through new laws and measures.

For further information on the debates in the state parliament and the contents of the constitutional protection report, see n-tv and Tagesschau.