LGBTQI+ in danger: How right-wing extremist youth groups threaten queer lives

Counter-protests at pride parades, insults online and attacks on dates: queer people are at risk, especially from right-wing extremist groups. The federal government has also recognized this.

The queer policy spokesman for the left-wing faction in the Bundestag, Maik Brückner, wanted to know in a written question how those in government assess the risk that neo-Nazi groups pose to queer people. The answer is available to the taz.

It states that right-wing extremist youth groups such as “Terror 18” or “Sturm Nord” are particularly characterized by discriminatory ideologies and views and, in some cases, a pronounced willingness to use violence. The Internet in particular becomes a resonance space for hatred and agitation against the enemy image of the queer community. The radicalization process initiated online can spill over into the real world through demos, disruptive actions against CSDs and criminal offenses. According to the Federal Government, the abstract threat can “become concrete at any time” for members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

The “Terror 18” group recently demonstrated its willingness to use violence when a 15-year-old planned to carry out an arson attack on an accommodation for refugees in Winsen/Luhe in Lower Saxony on October 30th. The anti-fascist research team Exif prevented the project.

Parts of the group have also attracted attention in the past through marches against CSDs and through so-called “pedo hunting”. This refers to right-wing extremist attacks on mostly queer people under the guise of “hunting” alleged pedophiles. According to the federal government, this practice is one of the “identity-forming” group activities of youth groups.

The left-wing faction had already made a small inquiry in September asking about the threat to queer dating and cruising culture. The background was repeated attacks at gay or queer cruising places and via dating apps. The federal government was unable to conclusively confirm a connection between this series of attacks and “Pedo Hunting”.

Against this background, Die Linke is astonished by the federal government's clear answer to the written question. The government's reaction can be interpreted as meaning that groups observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, such as "Terror 18", are increasingly becoming radicalized into right-wing terrorism. Bonded together through “pedo-hunting” and similar activities, the radical right increasingly endangers queer people beyond verbal violence.

Maik Brückner demands that these findings be followed by action: “Concrete protection must arise from a concrete threat.” It is wrong for the Merz government to view the issue exclusively through the lens of the security authorities. Democracy and the fight against queer hostility must be thought of together and right-wing extremist structures must be destroyed, according to the queer political spokesman. In addition, a ban on the AfD must be examined: “Queer politics means Antifa”.

In addition, funding programs such as “Living Democracy” and “Queer Living” would have to be expanded again. Only recently did the federal government cut off state funding for the queer youth association Lambda e.V., thereby causing a lot of outrage. Regardless of this, the AfD also targeted the club. Last year, MP Matthias Helferich questioned its non-profit status in a written question and spoke of “state-accompanied child abuse”.