The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is investigating Hans-Georg Maaßen for possible right-wing extremist crimes. Government members are discussing whether legal consequences should be considered.
Politicians from the German traffic light coalition are discussing possible legal consequences for the former President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen. “If the results of his surveillance by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution show that he himself has mutated into an enemy of the constitution, disciplinary proceedings against this top official with all possible consequences are essential,” said SPD member of the Bundestag Ralf Stegner to the Handelsblatt (Thursday edition).
The reason is that Maaßen is now being observed by his former authority. “His special duty of loyalty to our democratic state does not expire even in retirement.” Stegner emphasized that looking the other way is not an option for a robust democracy.
The FDP federal deputy Wolfgang Kubicki warned against hasty assessments. Maaßen is “certainly on the political borderline,” the Bundestag Vice President told the Handelsblatt. “But I cannot assess whether he is acting unconstitutionally – which is a serious accusation – because I have no solid evidence for this.”
At the same time, Kubicki pointed out that the Basic Law sets a very broad framework with regard to individual rights such as freedom of expression. He therefore expects that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution “has very good reasons to make this classification”.
Maaßen: “The federal government is afraid of me”
On Wednesday it became known that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is said to have stored former President Maaßen in its own intelligence information system in the area of right-wing extremism. Maaßen, who announced his resignation from the CDU a few days ago and founded a new party with the Union of Values, is now considered an object of observation by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, reported the ARD magazine “Kontraste” and the portal t-online.
“The federal government is obviously afraid of me and the Union of Values, so they have me observed and persecuted by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution,” wrote Maaßen on X (formerly Twitter). Maaßen was President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution from 2012 to 2018.
The former secret service agent and top official Maaßen plans to turn the Union of Values into a party that will also run in the East German state elections this year in Thuringia, Saxony and later in Brandenburg.
No problem with being close to the AfD
He confirmed to the German Press Agency that he would have no problem if a head of government was elected with the help of the right-wing populist AfD – for example in Thuringia: “If someone from the Union of Values became the top candidate in Thuringia and he would have the chance to become Prime Minister “Then I don’t care at all who votes for him,” he said. What matters is what policy is made. “If the AfD in Thuringia agreed with our people and went along with our program, I would have no problems with it at all.”
When asked whether Maaßen thinks the AfD is capable of forming a coalition in Thuringia, for example, he said: “I wouldn’t go that far now.” In his opinion, the AfD addresses important issues – such as problems with migration policy, climate and energy policy or economic policy. “But in parts of migration policy their ideas are simply too radical for me,” said Maaßen, questioning whether cooperation would be successful on this point.
CDU does not cooperate with AfD
For years, Maaßen has signaled an openness to the AfD that goes beyond the CDU’s stance. The Christian Democrats have an incompatibility resolution that prohibits them from working with the AfD and the Left. In Thuringia, however, they accept AfD votes if they can be used to pass CDU bills.
After the Thuringian state elections in 2019, the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich was surprisingly elected Prime Minister, with AfD votes making the difference. Kemmerich’s election sparked protests across Germany; he resigned a few days after his election – without having appointed ministers for a cabinet. Thuringia sank into a deep government crisis, which was only ended almost a month later with the re-election of Bodo Ramelow (Left) as head of government. (APA/AFP)
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