Left-Extremist Endeavours

As in previous years, the BfV attended the Didacta/Interschul fair
with an exhibition stand. The major target group were multipliers,
especially teachers. The respective statistics recorded 6,000
visitors to the stand.
An important prerequisite to an effective fight against racism and
anti-foreigner hostility is research into the causes. With the initiation
and analysis of research programmes on internal security
subjects, options for political action are obtained. Therefore, the
Federal Ministry of the Interior commissioned Deutsches Jugendinstitut
["German Youth (Research) Institute"] in Munich to carry out a
research project which, as part of a longitudinal-section analysis,
is an update of the 1994 study "Analyse fremdenfeindlicher
Straftäter" ("Analysis of Xenophobic Offenders").
The dialogue initiated, as a follow-up to the "European Year
against Racism and Xenophobia" (1997), by the Government and
non-governmental organizations in the "Forum gegen Rassismus"
["Forum against Racism"] was continued and expanded. It is envisaged
that the "Forum gegen Rassismus" in future might also
function as a "National Round Table" in the spirit of the principles
laid down by the "Europäische Stelle zur Beobachtung von Rassismus
und Fremdenfeindlichkeit" (EBRF - "European Bureau
Monitoring Racism and Xenophobia"). The chairmanship and executive
secretariat of the "Forum gegen Rassismus" are the responsibility
of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Given the requirement
for the analysis and discussion of racism and xenophobia,
the Federal MOI successfully organized the European
conference on "Religions - Ethnic Groups - Government" during
the German Presidency of the EU Council. The objective of that
conference was achieved, i.e. to give new political impulses for
tolerance and against racism, in the sense of peaceful co-existence
of different ethnic groups and different religions within the
framework of the democratic Constitutions of the European
states.
Extremism, xenophobia and violence continue to be phenomena
that threaten the democratic and social rule-of-law state. The
unabated incidence of offences and acts of outrage, especially
with a right-extremist, anti-foreigner and racist background, call
for resolute commitment to the protection and respect of democratic
rules, and for promoting tolerance and the respect due to
other people and, consequently, for the uncompromising rejection
of all forms of extremism, xenophobia, racism and violence in all
sectors and at all levels of the state and society. This awareness
united all the representatives from politics, of the Government, of
non-governmental organizations, of the scientific community,
from industry, of the churches and religious communities, of
sports organizations, charitable associations, etc., who in 1999
�����