BERLIN, Sept 5. (Xinhua) -- Michael Kretschmer (CDU), the governor of Saxony, has announced a crackdown on right-wing extremism by his government on Wednesday.
"I am convinced that right-wing extremism is the biggest threat to democracy", Kretschmer said during a speech at the Saxon regional assembly. As a consequence, he urged citizens across Germany to join him fighting back against such tendencies "with all their power."
The comments were made in the wake of a series of widely-publicized far-right demonstrations in Saxon city of Chemnitz. The rallies were organized spontaneously in response to the alleged murder of a 35-year-old German with Cuban roots by a Syrian and Iraqi national at a local city festival. The two individuals have been remanded in custody although investigators are still searching for a third suspect believed to be involved in the case.
Kretschmer thanked security officers for their efforts to preserve order during the marches but admitted that it "would have been better" if more reinforcements had been called in. Local police appeared to have at least temporarily lost control of the situation, as violent protestors threatened and chased civilians with foreign appearances, clashed with a separate anti-Nazi demonstration and used the banned Hitler salute on the streets of Chemnitz.
Nevertheless, the Saxon governor insisted on Wednesday that public security was always guaranteed by police throughout the tumultuous events. Kretschmer criticized claims of "violent mobs being formed in Chemintz, which were made by Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) amongst others, as being overblown. Such depictions harmed the reputation of Saxony and were exemplary of the arrogance which West Germany still displayed towards the poorer Eastern half of the country.
Kretschmer vowed on Wednesday that the "horrible" crime committed at the Chemnitz city festival would be clarified swiftly and result in the harsh punishment of the perpetrators. At the same time, he told delegates the Saxon government would consult with diverse stakeholders to address long-standing issues with right-wing extremists in the state.
"We must make the people are allies (in this fight)", the CDU politician said.
Responding to the speech, however, Green (Gruene) party parliamentary faction leader Anton Hofreiter accused Kretschmer of being part of the problem. Hofreiter lamented that CDU governments had ignored the spread of far-right groups in Saxony for more than 20 years.
"It would be good if Mr. Kretschmer apologized for the failure of his regional government", Hofreiter said. He argued that the priority of German policymakers in Saxony and beyond should now be to reform security and intelligence authorities which have been accused of maintaining links to far-right groups.
