Efforts to delegitimise the state

Term and manifestations

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictive measures taken by the state to fight it have brought about a wide sociopolitical debate and legitimate protests against these measures in Germany.

In some cases, however, public statements or actions have crossed the line of legitimate protests, with factual indications of anti-constitutional activity.

Therefore, BfV has established a field of work designated as “Anti-constitutional delegitimisation of the state”. The relevant protagonists aim to shake the confidence in the state system and to impair its functionality. To this end, they, for instance,

• disparage democratically elected representatives of the state,
• deny the legitimacy of state institutions and their representatives,
• call for noncompliance with judicial directives and decisions,
• sabotage state or public institutions (of health care, for example) by damaging property or
• call for acts of resistance against the state order.

Such behaviour is contrary to fundamental constitutional principles like the principle of democracy or the rule of law.

Ideology

The coronavirus protest scene is very heterogeneous in terms of ideology and organisation. Common ground is the categorical rejection of the pandemic containment measures taken by the Federation and the federal states. Among part of the protest scene, this hostile attitude has turned into a fundamental rejection of the existing order of the state and its institutions.

In some cases, the Federal Republic of Germany is equated with the dictatorial regimes of National Socialism and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This is meant to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the coronavirus protective measures and to discredit the rule of law in general. Within the scene, conspiracy theories are spread that reveal the fundamental rejection of the state and its representatives. These narratives are often marked by antisemitic prejudice, which also provides a connection with right-wing extremists as well as with Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter.

Followers of these conspiracy theories falsely blame a circle of individuals that is usually referred to as the “elite” of pursuing a “secret plan” to the disadvantage of the people. They imply that this plan, unnoticed by the general public, exclusively serves the elite’s own interests and seriously harms the rest of the population.

Conspiracy theorists constantly propagate fake evidence for their allegations. Within their self-contained conspiracist filter bubble, they immunise themselves against any kind of facts that might put their ideological convictions into perspective or even prove them wrong. In connection with the coronavirus pandemic, particularly conspiracy theories relating to the “Great Reset” initiative of the 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) have spread. The WEF initiative’s basic aim is to view the pandemic also as an opportunity for economic reforms and changes and to suggest steps to this end. Conspiracists, however, see the “Great Reset” as a large-scale project by the global political or economic elite that aims to destroy traditional social structures and to establish a “world government”.

Various interpretations depict the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination as a “forced vaccination”. In some cases, it is asserted that microchips are implanted with the vaccine for surveillance purposes, which, in connection with depriving unvaccinated individuals of their rights, is allegedly meant to lead to the establishment of a global surveillance system.

Conspiracy theories related to the coronavirus pandemic sometimes contain considerable antisemitism, spreading the assertion that Jews use the pandemic as a pretext to establish a “New World Order”. The “forced vaccinations” and the supposedly injected microchip are alleged to serve the purpose of putting people at the mercy of the “New World Order”. The police are also considered an enemy by those participating in coronavirus protests of intelligence concern. Maligning the police as an executive organ of a supposed “coronavirus dictatorship” is meant to make violence against the police appear as a legitimate act of resistance and thus to gradually lessen the scruples people have about committing such violence.

The resulting escalation of the protests and the deliberate provocation of repressive police measures have been intended to paint the picture of a rigorous state denying its citizens their civil rights and to make the population show solidarity. This has been supported by distorted and biased reports about police operations at demonstrations and even fake news deliberately spread on social media and the Internet.

Intimidation of politicians

Since the beginning of the pandemic, politicians have been subject to an increasing number of attempts at intimidation and threats.

For example, supporters of delegitimisation efforts have tried several times to confront politicians in their private surroundings. Such “home visits” became quite common to the scene for a while from the autumn of 2021 onwards. Intimidating demonstrations took place close to the homes of federal, state and local politicians or were stopped at short distances from their homes. Instead of wishing to exercise their right to demonstrate, those involved in such “home visits” mainly aimed at creating an intimidating scenario, for example by using torches and drums and by shouting aggressive slogans.

On the Internet, individuals moreover approve of scenarios involving violence or even murder regarding politicians or prominent representatives of science and business. Particularly on social media and messenger services, fantasies of murder and violence against decision-makers are common. Some groups have discussed steps towards an implementation of such plans or even an “overthrow of the system”. On social media especially, it can be observed that individuals have fewer and fewer scruples about making certain comments. As regards the circles that are the focus of BfV’s field of work called “Anti-constitutional delegitimisation of the state”, discourses legitimising violence are based on elements of various ideologies not necessarily compatible with one another.

Exploitation of crises

For a long time, the coronavirus pandemic was the prevailing topic among those whom BfV focuses on in its field of work called “Anti-constitutional delegitimisation of the state”. However, there will likely be a shift to new, maybe overlapping, topics in future. Social crisis situations in particular, for example significant restrictions in connection with climate protection or an economic recession resulting from the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, can be exploited for the purpose of systematically delegitimising institutions and representatives of the state and bringing discredit on the democratic system as a whole.

A temporary shift of focus already took place in connection with the flood disaster in July 2021. Protagonists from the above-mentioned spectrum tried to take advantage of the difficult supply situation in the flooded areas and make public authorities seem reluctant and incapable of facing and easing the local plight. Since February 2022 Russia’s war against Ukraine has increasingly turned into the main subject of agitation.