Far-Right Groups
Génération Identitaire, a French far-right group declaring a "war on migrants", faces dissolution as the French government tries to tackle far-right extremism. A bill to fight Islamist extremism and separatism was approved by the National Assembly on February 16th.
In a brief enquiry from the left-wing parliamentary group, the federal government replied that the number of right-wing extremists with weapons permits in Germany is still increasing. An increase of 35% has been recorded since 2019, with the security authorities counting a total of 1,2000 suspected right-wing extremists.
In the context of threats such as "Day X", raids on Bundeswehr soldiers and right-wing chat groups within the police, the constitutional protection authorities assess such preparatory actions as dangerous.
The Proud Boys, an all-male, far-right group, became the subject of intense scrutiny by law enforcement agencies in both countries in the wake of the Capitol insurrection on 6 January.
"Their violent actions and rhetoric are fueled by white supremacy, anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, Islamophobia and misogyny, and unfortunately, often in combination of all of the above," said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair at a news conference Wednesday.
In addition to the Proud Boys, Canada also added The Base, Attomwaffen Division and the Russian Imperial Movement to its terror organisations' list.
Joseph Biggs, one of the leaders of the far-right group Proud Boys, was arrested in Florida for his role in the insurrection of the US Capitol. He faces charges of obstruction of a proceeding, entering restricted grounds and disorderly conduct.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has published a statement, asking for "information related to violent activity at the U.S. Capitol Building" that happened on Wednesday while the US Senate was to certify the Electoral College results.
"The FBI is seeking information that will assist in identifying individuals who are actively instigating violence in Washington, DC. The FBI is accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting and violence in the U.S. Capitol Building and surrounding area in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021," the statement reads. "If you have witnessed unlawful violent actions, we urge you to submit any information, photos, or videos that could be relevant at fbi.gov/USCapitol. [...] You may also call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) to verbally report tips and/or information related to this investigation."
The Corona protest movement "Querdenken 711" from Stuttgart becomes a case for the constitutional protection of Baden-Württemberg. The reason for this is the increasing influence of right-wing extremists and Reichsbürgern within the movement.
A meeting of movement members and Peter Fitzek, the self-proclaimed "King of Germany" and Reichsbürger, in Thuringia is also said to have triggered the measure taken by the security authorities. The authorities are concerned about the alliance of Querdenkern, corona deniers and Reichsbürgern.
In recent weeks and months, various right-wing extremist chat groups by police officers have been uncovered throughout Germany. After Hesse and North-Rhine Westphalia, the first such case became known to the Berlin police at the beginning of October.
As it turns out today, Wednesday, not an isolated case. Once again a WhatsApp group, this time from Berlin police students, became known in which right-wing extremist memes and symbols were also sent to each other. Criminal investigations were initiated against the suspects.
During the first presidential debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked President Donald Trump whether he would condemn white supremacists and ask them to stay down during ongoing demonstrations.
"Sure, I’m willing to, but I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right wing. I’m willing to do anything. I want to see peace," Trump said.
"Who would you like me to condemn?" Trump asked when urged by Biden to condemn the groups and is prompted the far-right group "Proud Boys."
"Proud Boys — stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you what. Somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right wing problem," so the president.
According to the BBC, Proud Boys responded to the president's remarks in their Telegram group, writing: "Standing down and standing by sir."