Left-Extremist Endeavours

Slight decrease in rightextremist
member/ supporter
potential
Right-wing extremists
prepared to use violence
II. Overview in Statistics
1. Organizations and Member/Supporter Potential
At the end of 1999, there were 134 (1998: 114) right-extremist
organizations and associations of persons in Germany. The number
of their members and of non-organized right-wing extremists
- about 51,400 - had decreased by approx. 4 % as compared to
the previous year (1998: 53,600).
The number of subculture-oriented *) and other violence-inclined
right-wing extremists has gone up, by nearly 10 %, to 9,000
persons (1998: 8,200). Thus the upward trend, observed since
1996, of the number of right-wing extremists prepared to use
violence continues. Included in the violence-inclined category are
those right-wing extremists who support the use of violence, but
so far have not committed any acts of violence. The by far largest
- some 85 % - of these groups are right-extremist skinheads who
by their subcultural orientation clearly differ from other right-wing
extremists prepared to use violence, e.g. those from the neo-
Nazi camp.
Neo-Nazis The number of neo-Nazis has fallen by about 8 % to 2,200
(1998: 2,400). A certain degree of organizational structure was
found among 49 groups 2) (1998: 41).
Right-extremist political
parties
______________________________________
*)
About 37,000 persons (1998: 39,000) are organized in right-extremist
parties. This number includes members of the party "Die
Republikaner" (REP - "The Republicans"), but it should be noted
that not every individual member of that party is to be considered
a right-wing extremist. The decrease by about 5 % is due to
membership losses of the REP and of the "Deutsche Volksunion"
(DVU - "German People’s Union") (approx. 1,000 each).
As regards other right-extremist organizations, their number has
increased to 77 groups (1998: 65 groups); on the other hand, the
number of members/activists affiliated with this spectrum has
decreased to some 4,200 (1998: 4,500).
The willingness to use violence and acts of violence are present not only among skinheads, but
also - to a minor extent - among neo-Nazis and - to a still smaller extent - among the members
of right-extremist parties. Therefore, willingness to use violence cannot be the only criterion of
distinction between the skinhead and the neo-Nazi scenes. Much more important is the
subcultural component, by which skinheads disassociate themselves from society’s general
standards. This includes, for instance, a martial appearance, aggressive music and excessive
consumption of alcoholic drinks.
����