BERLIN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The German government would need to do "everything humanly possible" in order to better protect Jewish institutions in the country, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said during a debate in the parliament (Bundestag) on Thursday.
Seehofer said he was glad that Germany would have a "prosperous Jewish life" in many cities and municipalities. However, Jewish institutions in Germany would need to be better protected by the police as well as additional "construction measures".
On Wednesday last week, an armed right-wing extremist had tried to enter a synagogue in the city of Halle during the Yom Kippur prayers. After failing to enter the synagogue because of a locked door, the extremist shot two people in Halle and injured several others.
The shooter was arrested shortly afterward and admitted to the crime as well as a right-wing extremist and anti-Semitic motivation.
German security authorities would be already "highly qualified" in fighting against anti-Semitic crimes, Seehofer noted.
However, the federal criminal police (BKA) as well as the domestic intelligence service (BfV) would require a "massive" strengthening in terms of organization as well as personnel, emphasized Seehofer.
The minister further stated that internet service providers would need to be mandated to report prohibited content such as hate speech to the BKA in order for such content to be prosecuted.
Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a speech in the parliament on Thursday that right-wing terrorism would be "the biggest current threat to our community," adding that Germany would need to "dry up the breeding ground for hatred, agitation and violence."
Lambrecht is planning to present concrete legislative measures regarding the "tightening" of German laws against hate speech on the internet next week.
Seehofer is further planning to impose bans on right-wing extremist associations, intensify checks of German gun owners who are members of right-wing extremist groups as well as prevention measures in order to bring people from the right-wing extremist milieu back "into the democratic society."
Seehofer announced that he would discuss his plans to fight anti-Semitism in Germany with the interior ministers of the German federal states on Friday.
