Until 5 years in the past, bureaucrat-turned-politician Hans-Georg Maassen was answerable for defending Germany from violent extremist threats to democracy, however now he additionally runs a safety company he runs. It stated it was being monitored by the company.
Maassen was fired as head of Germany’s Constitutional Protection Agency (BfV) in 2018 after he appeared to downplay the specter of violence from right-wing extremists, who have been then rioting in japanese German cities.
Since then, the lawyer has change into recognized for his more and more excessive commentary on the risk immigrants allegedly pose to Germany, and has been recognized for his more and more excessive commentary on the risk that immigrants allegedly pose to Germany, and he has been often known as Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss, the aristocrat who led the failed coup try in 2022. He grew to become a hero to far-right activists, together with these round him. .
Masen responds to backlash
“Germany is clearly afraid of me,” he stated on the X present, including that Germany was utilizing its inside safety providers to watch him and the political celebration he based.
Asked about Mr Maassen’s surveillance, the BfV stated privateness legal guidelines prevented it from commenting on particular person circumstances. But Mr Maassen revealed a letter from the BfV despatched in response to a Freedom of Information request by his lawyer on his personal web site, displaying his widespread look in databases monitoring extremists. Admitted.
Maassen didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark. Tikis Einbrich, a weblog supporting him, quoted him as saying, “The allegations are with out benefit and unjustified.”
Mr Maassen was launched final month as considered one of a number of new launches aimed toward wooing voters who polls say are more and more disillusioned with Germany’s dominant centre-left and right-wing events. introduced the institution of a celebration.
Mr. Maassen’s post-BfV profession as a far-right icon has change into more and more embarrassing for German safety providers battling a burgeoning far-right faction benefiting from a struggling economic system and strained public providers.
As head of the BfV, he was successfully the pinnacle of Germany’s neo-Nazi hunt. Documents launched to him by the BfV present that he has been repeatedly praised by far-right figures.
“The right-wing extremist Bernhard Schraub described your consumer as a “high-quality republican” in a letter to Prince Heinrich There is. Freedom of knowledge solely contains materials materials that isn’t categorised.