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Saxon Separatists

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Saxon Separatists
Sächsische Separatisten
LeaderJörg S.
Dates of operation2020–present
CountrySaxony, Germany
IdeologyNeo-Nazism
White supremacy
Xenophobia
German nationalism
Ultranationalism
Political positionFar-right
StatusActive
Size20+
Opponents Germany

Saxon Separatists (German: Sächsische Separatisten) is a neo-Nazi paramilitary group in Saxony, Germany.

On November 5, 2024, the Federal Public Prosecutor General (Germany) arrested eight suspected members, claiming the group was a cladestine domestic terrorist organization and made active preparations for a violent coup to established a national socialist state and society.

Group and Network

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The Saxon Separatists group was founded in November 2020 in the environment of East German as well as Austrian right-wing political groups and the active neo-nazi scene in rural Saxonia. The core group consists of 15 to 20 people, only men, lead by Neo-Nazi Austrian Jörg Schimanek living in Brandis, a small town close to Leipzig.[1][2][3] Several members come from New Right groups and right-wing extremist parties.[4]

The founding members of the Saxon Separatists are Jörg and Jörn Schimanek, Karl K. and Norman T.. Kurt Hättasch and Hans-Georg P. also joined in August 2022. In 2023, Kevin R. and Kevin M. followed the organization.[5]

Like other neo-Nazi and neo-Nazi Reichsbürger groups, the Saxon Separatists also assumed that Germany would collapse on a fictitious “Day X”. In this case, they repeatedly completed paramilitary training with combat equipment and also acquired equipment such as combat helmets and gas masks.[6][7]

AfD-politicians

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At least three members of the terror group are also members of party Alternative for Germany. Kurt Hättasch, who possibly joined the group in 2022, is an Alternative for Germany local politician, member of Grimma city council for AfD and is also treasurer of the Young Alternative in Saxony. He is also district board member of the AfD Leipzig district association.[8][9] He is well connected to other right wing and neonazi groups and "Institut for statepolicy" (IfS) of Götz Kubitschek.[10][11]

Kevin R. is also member of Grimma city council. He is deployed to working group social politics and workinggroup culture-youth-sport. He was responsible for Young Alternative at AfD Leipzig district association (Kreisverband Leipziger Land). Hans-Georg P. was engaged in 2021 for AfD Leipzig.[10]

Austrian Neonazis

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Jörg and Jörn Schimanek are the sons of the well-known Austrian right-wing extremist Hans Jörg Schimanek Jr., who was the leader of a paramilitary neo-Nazi comradeship in the Krems-Land district in the 1990s.[3] There grandfather was FPÖ-politican Hans Jörg Schimanek senior.[12]

Ideology

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The ideology of the Saxon Separatists was characterized by racist, anti-Semitic and in some cases apocalyptic ideas. The group wanted to use armed force to bring areas in Saxony and possibly other East German states under their control in order to establish a state and society there that was aligned with National Socialism. The neo-Nazis wanted to remove groups of people who were undesirable to them from the area through ethnic cleansing if necessary.[7] The members are united by “a deep rejection of the free-democratic basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany,” according to the public prosecutor.[13]

Some of the very young members come from the “Siege scene”. “Siege” refers to a collection of writings from the 1980s by US-nazi James Nolan Mason (Atomwaffen Division). There are computer games regarding a racist-terrorist guerrilla war, which is primarily aimed at infrastructure and political leaders in order to plunge society into a race war. Supporters of this scene glorified the actions of right-wing terrorists and pursued the goal of participating in an expected violent overthrow.[4]

Action of the Prosecutor and police

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The police ran a long time undercover investigation of the group. The Federal Criminal Police Office BKA, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution BfV and the Saxony State Criminal Police Office led the investigation. Austrian and Polish secret services were also involved.[1] The Federal Prosecutor's Office finally came to the conclusion that Saxon Separatists made active preparations for a violent coup in Germany.[14]

The Federal Prosecutor's Office consequently arrested eight persons, among them several young people in various places in Saxony in the early morning of November 5, 2024. The arrests took place in Leipzig and close by Brandis and Grimma, in Dresden, in the Meißen district and one arrest was made in Poland.[15] The alleged leader Jörg Schimanek was arrested in Zgorzelec, Poland, the neighboring town of Görlitz.[13][3]

Small town of Grimma, where AfD Polictian Kurt Hättasch the GSG9 countered with a long gun.

GSG9 of federal police was deployed to arrest group member and AfD Politican Kurt Hättasch in Grimma. Hättasch confronted a special unit officer with a carbine and the GSG officer fired two warning shots.[16] It was subsequently determined that Hättasch had been hit by a projectile in the jaw area. It is unclear whether it was a police bullet or a bullet from his own weapon. Hättasch was taken to a hospital and operated on; his life was not in danger.[17]

The police are searching 20 properties including in Austria in Vienna and the Krems-Land district. More than 450 official operatives took part in the operations.[13][18]

Reactions

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The arrests made clear "the serious threat to Germany's internal security posed by right-wing extremism", said Thomas Haldenwang, president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.[19]

German interior minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) thanked the security services, that they had broken up a suspected terrorist group of militant right-wing extremists.[20]

German minister of justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) said, the arrests were a reminder that the German constitutional state and the free and democratic order “are under threat from many sides".[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Litschko, Konrad (2024-11-05). "Festnahmen von Neonazis in Sachsen: Schluss für "Sächsische Separisten"". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  2. ^ dpa (2024-11-05). "Festnahmen: Mutmaßliche Rechtsterroristen wollten Gebiete "erobern"". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  3. ^ a b c "Anführer der "Sächsischen Separatisten": Österreicher aus Familie mit brauner Vergangenheit". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  4. ^ a b Münster, Antenne. "Mutmaßliche Rechtsterroristen wollten Gebiete "erobern"". Antenne Münster (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  5. ^ "Acht Festnahmen bei Razzia gegen mutmaßliche Rechtsextreme | ka-news". ka-news.de (in German). 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  6. ^ "Mutmaßlich terroristische Vereinigung: Acht "Sächsische Separatisten" festgenommen". Aktuell (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  7. ^ a b https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-arrests-eight-suspected-members-right-wing-group-plotting-revolt-2024-11-05/
  8. ^ Deutschland, RedaktionsNetzwerk (2024-11-05). ""Sächsische Separatisten": Razzia gegen Nazi-Terrorgruppe – AfD-Kommunalpolitiker unter Festgenommenen". www.rnd.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  9. ^ "Kreisvorstand". AfD Kreisverband Landkreis Leipzig (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  10. ^ a b "Sachsen: Schüsse bei Festnahme von terrorverdächtigem AfD-Politiker". Der Spiegel (in German). 2024-11-05. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  11. ^ "Neonazis, AfD-Politiker und völkische Gesänge: Recherche deckt Verbindungen zu Neonazis auf". www.t-online.de (in German). 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  12. ^ red, ORF at/Agenturen (2024-11-05). "Razzia in Deutschland: AfD-Politiker festgenommen". news.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  13. ^ a b c mdr.de. "Acht mutmaßliche Rechtsterroristen in Sachsen und Polen festgenommen | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  14. ^ Redactie (2024-11-05). "Acht aanhoudingen in Duitsland om separatistische plannen voor nationalistische staat". TPO.NL (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  15. ^ "Polish and German authorities dismantle extremist militant group of "Saxon Separatists" - English Section". www.polskieradio.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  16. ^ Nößler, Hanna Gerwig,Denise Peikert,Felix Huesmann,Haig Latchinian,Antonie Rietzschel,Robert (2024-11-05). "Sächsische Separatisten: Razzia in Sachsen auch gegen AfD-Politiker". www.lvz.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Aston, Jonas (2024-11-05). "AfD-Politiker Kurt Hättasch bei Razzia in den Kiefer geschossen". Apollo News (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  18. ^ Voigt, Eric; dpa; AFP (2024-11-05). "Sächsische Separatisten: Mutmaßliche Mitglieder von rechtsextremer Terrorgruppe festgenommen". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  19. ^ Italia, AGI-Agenzia (2024-11-05). "Germania: arrestati 8 estremisti di destra, tra cui un esponente dell'AfD". www.agi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  20. ^ "Germany arrests eight over alleged far-right coup plot". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  21. ^ "Germany arrests eight over alleged neo-Nazi government takeover plot". euronews. 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
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