In Germany, this week, the police arrested 25 people belonging to an extreme right-wing group, who are suspected of having been preparing a coup for a long time.
The preparation has included, among other things, acquiring equipment, holding shooting exercises and recruiting new members.
According to German media, among those arrested was also a former parliamentarian from the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) Birgit Malsack-Winkemann.
This has been considered particularly worrying because former politicians have also traditionally had access to the parliament building, says ‘s correspondent Suvi Turtiainen Up in the morning.
– [Malsack-Winkemann] once also received a lot of secret information about the security measures of the parliament building. The group would certainly have used this information to their advantage if the plan had been implemented at any point.
There has been a lot of news about the connections of the European extreme right to Russia. According to the German prosecutor’s office, it seems that the group preparing the coup had tried to keep in touch with representatives of the Russian administration, says Turtiainen.
– At this stage, there is no evidence that Russia itself has been active in supporting the group.
The example of the movement is the German Empire
The group is said to be connected to the Reichsbürger movement. The movement consists of several German factions that question the country’s current federal government and admire the German Empire that was in power before the world wars.
Among those arrested was also a German nobleman Henry XIIIwhose group has wanted to elevate the country to the new leader, says Turtiainen.
– According to the logic of the movement, this nobleman acting as a businessman would be the heir and rightful leader of the German Empire.
The movement’s goals are proportional to what was seen, for example, in the background of the takeover of the US Congress building in 2021, says a specialist researcher Kimmo Elo From the Center for Parliamentary Studies of the University of Turku.
– Let’s aim a blow at the strongest institution of democracy, i.e. the parliament, and thereby try to overthrow the democratic order, he illustrates.
According to official data, the movement has approximately 19,000 members. It has increased its support in recent years, among other things, by getting closer to the corona-denialists. The AfD party has also had an extreme right-wing wing for a longer time, which has been increasing its power.
However, the “hard core” of the movement is relatively small, Elo elaborates.
– Of course, there are more people who think along the same lines, but most of them probably would not have wanted to participate in the actual activity.
Silvennoinen: The extreme right is also a threat in Finland
The extreme right is research-wise divided into right-wing radicalism and right-wing extremism, says the docent of European history at the University of Helsinki Oula Silvennoinen. Extremists’ threshold to use violence is lower, but the boundaries between trends are blurred.
– Right-wing radical movements and parties typically have connections with extremism. The pattern is the same in Germany as in Finland, says Silvennoinen.
According to Silvennoinen, right-wing radicalism in Finland is represented by basic Finns who, like the AfD, have documented connections to right-wing extremism, he says.
In the broadcast, Silvennoinen did not name any examples of Finnish right-wing extremist movements. In a separate telephone interview, he mentions the now defunct Nordic Resistance Movement (PVL), Sinimusta liike party and Soldiers of Odin.
Current and former members of Basic Finns have been involved in the events and activities of the organizations in question.
In Silvennoinen’s opinion, the idea of a change of power by taking over the parliament is naive and out of date. However, far-right groups are capable of violence.
– We don’t have to guess anymore [äärioikeiston uhkaa Suomessa] because we have seen that they are capable of violence, and judgments have also been handed down.
Chairman of Basic Finns, Member of Parliament Riikka Purra called Silventos politicized on Twitter after the broadcast. Silvennoinen is the parliamentary election candidate of the Greens in the 2023 parliamentary election.
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