Berlin After the major raid on so-called Reich citizens because of alleged coup plans, the SPD and the Greens called for consistent action against extremists in the public sector. “Of course, the disciplinary law has to change,” said the criminal policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Sebastian Fiedler, the Handelsblatt.
The chairman of the secret service body of the Bundestag, Konstantin von Notz (Greens), called on the federal government to “act decisively” now.
According to Fiedler, the Federal Ministry of the Interior is already “intensively” working on tightening civil service law. A wording in the coalition agreement of the traffic light parties shows what it is essentially about. There it says: “In order to ensure the integrity of the public service, we will ensure that enemies of the constitution can be removed from the service more quickly than before.”
With the arrest of judge Birgit Malsack-Winkemann in connection with the nationwide Reich citizens raid, things are now moving. Malsack-Winkemann sat for the AfD in the Bundestag from 2017 to 2021, and in March 2022 she returned to the judicial service at the Berlin Regional Court.
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From the point of view of the federal prosecutor, the 25 people arrested nationwide on Wednesday morning belong to a terrorist organization. She accuses the accused of planning a political coup and an armed attack on the Bundestag.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) said that those who have fantasies of overthrow and want to overcome the basic democratic order have no place in public service. With a tightening of disciplinary law, it should be possible in the future to get rid of “such enemies of the constitution” more quickly. “Filtering out” these cases often takes far too long.
What disciplinary measures are possible against active officers
In fact, disciplinary proceedings against civil servants can extend over several years. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the average processing time in official proceedings was just under 15 months and in court proceedings almost 30 months.
Officials typically face disciplinary action for violating the duty of constitutional loyalty. “If there are sufficient indications of this suspicion, disciplinary proceedings must be initiated,” says the Ministry of the Interior. Disciplinary measures against active civil servants are reprimands, fines, reductions in salaries, demotion and finally dismissal from civil servants.
The case of former AfD member of parliament Jens Maier recently showed how difficult it is to remove such people from active service. Maier is classified as a right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony. He had lost his mandate in the 2021 federal election and then wanted to return to the judiciary as a judge. Since then, his case has occupied the Saxon judiciary.
At the beginning of December, the Leipzig service court for judges finally decided that Maier should be put into early retirement. The court thus followed a request by the Saxon Ministry of Justice.
Disciplinary proceedings against the ex-deputy are also underway at the Dresden Regional Court. It could also be about the question of whether Maier will lose his salary. However, this process could also take longer.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution wants mandatory security checks when hiring employees in security agencies
The SPD domestic politician Fiedler expects, also with a view to the alleged right-wing terrorist activities of judge Malsack-Winkemann, “that there will be cuts or the loss of retirement benefits”.
The Greens parliamentary group leader von Notz also sees an urgent need for action, especially since members of the public service have repeatedly played a role in the uncovering of right-wing extremist and terrorist networks. “Especially those who serve and represent our state have a very special responsibility,” said von Notz. There should be no doubt about their integrity.
The parliamentary manager of the CSU in the Bundestag, Stefan Müller, also believes that severe consequences are necessary. “Anyone who is planning the coup d’état has no place in the civil service and should be dismissed from the civil service without any ifs or buts,” Müller told the Handelsblatt.
“Reich citizens are dangerous to the Republic and are actively fighting our legal system,” emphasized the CSU politician. He therefore expects Minister Faeser to “take a clear stance against enemies of the constitution and tighten civil service law”.
According to the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, the security authorities were informed early on about the alleged coup plans of the Reich Citizens Group. Haldenwang said on ZDF that the group had been observed since spring. The plans then became more and more concrete.
In the ARD Haldenwang suggested a security check for all people who are admitted to the security authorities of the federal and state governments. Intensive training measures on how to deal with right-wing extremism in their own ranks and improved reporting requirements are also necessary. “There are more than isolated cases,” said the chief intelligence officer.
More: 25 alleged Reich citizens arrested in raid