In Germany, a proposal to ban opposition party

General secretary of the party the CSU, which together with the CDU and FDP member of the ruling coalition in Germany, Alexander Dobrindt (Alexander Dobrindt) said of a possible application for the ban of the party "Left." To do this, in his opinion, the special services is to start spying on all members of the faction "Left", and not just a few of them, as is done now. With this statement he made in the central channel ARD broadcast on January 29.Dobrindt said that the Security Service of the constitution must keep track of all the deputies of the party, "the Left" at both the federal and regional levels. After you have collected the necessary information, could sue in the Federal Constitutional Court to ban the party. CSU secretary general said that many in the party reject the current constitution.

Representatives of the Party "Left" as well as other opposition parties in the German parliament deputies say surveillance invalid. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the observation justifies the fact that intelligence is used only public sources to gather information.

However, in the party, "Left" these statements cast doubt. Special services provided to those for whom they watch, access to the collected materials, but some paragraphs have been painted black, and some pages are not allowed to view. Regional offices of the Service of the constitution has already admitted that they use spyware techniques to gather information.Special Services in Lower Saxony told about spying on "Left"The deputies of the Bundestag were under the supervision of intelligence servicesThe German secret service watched by deputies from the "Left" is not only open sources, but also espionage methods. With this recognition was made by the head of Lower Saxony branch of Service of the constitution, Hans-Werner Vargel (Hans-Werner Wargel) on air Radio Bremen. Earlier, security forces and the government stressed that is not "spying" and "observation" that is used to collect information only from open sources.Lower Saxony state security agencies believe the party hostile to the present constitution of Germany, so spying on local deputies from the "Left". Vargel referenced with the decision of the Federal Administrative Court of Germany from 2010, according to which the surveillance of the party recognized as legitimate.

On Wednesday, January 25, the Bundestag will debate on the observation of the "Left". January 22 was leaked to the media a list of members of parliament, for which the following service of the constitution. The party is considered offensive and illegal. However, the government and security forces insist that it is necessary as long as the party's program provides grounds for suspicion of extremism.

The German secret service admitted to spying for the Bundestag deputies

The German intelligence services have established surveillance of the Bundestag deputies from the "Left". About a third faction, according to Spiegel, under the supervision of the Service of the constitution. In the field of view of intelligence were 27 deputies of the Bundestag and 11 other party members from various Landtags federal lands.The fact that intelligence agencies monitor the "left" was known before, but it was believed that there were only under the supervision of representatives of the radical wing of the party. Conservation Service of the Constitution refused to name names of those for whom watching.

Now it became clear that the scale of surveillance is much more serious than previously stated. In addition, under the supervision are not only the radical left, but virtually the entire leadership of the faction in the Bundestag: its chairman Gregor Gysi (Gregor Gysi) and Gesine Lech (Gesine Loetzsch), together with their alternates Sarah Wagenknecht (Sahra Wagenknecht) and Halin Vavzinyak ( Halina Wawzyniak), members of the presidium Dietmar Bartsch (Dietmar Bartsch) and Jan Korte (Jan Korte), as well as the parliamentary group leader Dagmar Enkelmann (Dagmar Enkelmann).In addition, surveillance is installed for the representatives of the "Left", who hold key positions not only in the party, but also in the Bundestag. These include the vice-speaker of the Bundestag Petra Pau (Petra Pau), chairman of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Katja Kipping (Katja Kipping) and a member of the Board of confidence in the Bundestag Bokhan Steffen (Steffen Bockhahn).

The observation of these people reported to the intelligence report submitted to the Board of confidence the Bundestag, which controls the cost of services of the constitution. In such a situation is particularly noteworthy that among the observed was a member of the board, as for its constituent deputies can monitor only in exceptional cases.In the special services their actions are not called "surveillance" and "supervision". In the Service of Protection of the Constitution explain that there are no tricks to this spyware is not used, and information collected from open sources. However, members of the "Left" is not reassured. Gysi said in an interview Mitteldeutschen Zeitung: "The task of the deputies is to monitor the security services. That they consider themselves entitled to arrange surveillance for more than a third of the members of the party 'Die Linke', just chutzpah."

The German secret service gave the money for neo-Nazis fake passports

Organs of State Security tried to Thuringia in 2000 to pay members of the neo-Nazi group NSU two thousand German marks, writes Bild am Sonntag, citing the statement of officer protection of the constitution, which he did on December 6 in a closed session of a special commission Thuringian parliament.Office for the Protection of the Constitution had planned to transfer the money through intermediaries to members of the group could make them fake passports, according to Spiegel. The fact that the group urgently need money for new passports, intelligence agencies learned of the wiretapping their phones.

Organs of State Security had hoped that with the help of intermediaries, who will give money to neo-Nazis, they will know exactly where they are located, and the names under which they operate. Send the money should have been an activist of the National Democratic Party of Germany, Brandt Tino (Tino Brandt), who worked at the intelligence services under the name Otto (Otto).Under the plan, Brandt has been personally hand over money neo-Nazis, but he decided to do this is through a single informant. Intelligence agencies claim that the money in the end did not come to the criminals, because they awarded one of the mediators wrote Thueringer Landeszeitung. Members of the group, despite this, really made the new passport and fled with them in Saxony, as the Thuringian security agencies do not have informed the local office to register people.

The backbone group, founded in 1998 in Jena, were Chepe Beate (Beate Zschaepe), Mundlos Uwe (Uwe Mundlos) and Uwe Benhardt (Uwe Boehnhardt). They committed ten murders and 14 robberies. Their victims were eight Turkish immigrants, and a Greek female police officer. In addition, they organized a terrorist attack in Cologne in 2004. Now Beata Chepe is under arrest, and her two accomplices committed suicide.

Do not inspire confidence

The deputies of the Bundestag were under the supervision of intelligence services

The German secret service admitted that they followed the deputies of the Bundestag faction of the "Left". The fact that they are being monitored, it was no secret, but had not previously disclosed, for whom it was. It is now known that the suspicion of security is virtually the entire top of the party. "Left" outraged: the task of the parliament - to control the security forces, and not vice versa.

However, the government does not inspire confidence in the party program, which gives rise to suspicion of extremism.On Sunday, January 22, the media got a list of the 27 deputies of the Bundestag, the party "Left", as established surveillance Security Service of the constitution of Germany. Total group includes 76 people, about one third of its members were suspected to have the state security organs. It is clear from the report of the intelligence committee confidence in the Bundestag, which controls their expenses.Under the supervision is virtually the entire leadership of the faction of its chairman Gregor Gysi (Gregor Gysi) and Gesine Lech (Gesine Loetzsch), their deputies Sarah Wagenknecht (Sahra Wagenknecht) and Halina Vavzinyak (Halina Wawzyniak), members of the presidium Dietmar Bartsch (Dietmar Bartsch) and Jan Korte (Jan Korte), as well as the parliamentary group leader Dagmar Enkelmann (Dagmar Enkelmann).

Surveillance is also installed for those members of the "Left", which occupy important positions in the Bundestag. Thus, in the list of special services were Vice-Speaker of the Bundestag Petra Pau (Petra Pau), chairman of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Katja Kipping (Katja Kipping) and a member of the Board of confidence in the Bundestag Bokhan Steffen (Steffen Bockhahn).According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Germany, "Left" control seven of the Service of the constitution, and it takes 390,000 euros per year. In comparison, for the right party NPD followed about ten people, and this budget is about 590 thousand euros.The party of "left" after the publication of the list has decided to resort to all methods to stop this practice. Chairman of the parliamentary faction, Gregor Gysi sent a letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel, the speaker of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert (Norbert Lammert) and President Christian Wulff with the requirement to do everything possible to halt surveillance.

The message Gysi argues that intelligence agencies have shown disrespect not only to a specific party, but also to the Parliament as a whole. The task of the Bundestag - to control the organs of state security, and until the contrary is obtained. In addition, in this, according to Gysi, hidden contempt for the citizens of countries that have expressed their confidence that the deputies and elected their own representatives. The party is also regarded as a breach of the security services of the principle of equality of parties, and the reports of surveillance - as pressure on voters.

Moreover, some deputies, for whom are under surveillance, were selected by a majority of deputies in the various committees. Particularly outraged by this case, that was supervised by Steffen Bokhan, which is responsible for overseeing the activities of secret services, but he was under their control. In addition, the "Left" are going to apply for the holding of "actual hours" in the parliament on the subject. However, the party has filed a lawsuit in the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany to prove illegality of such practices.According to Gysi, the surveillance of MPs - a "scandal." Not skimping on the expression, the deputy said that the intelligence services "simply went to the roof," and they're stuck in the era of the "cold war". Gysi sure Conservation Service of the Constitution not only uses open sources to gather information, as stated in the report of the special services, but also spying on specific individuals. He said he saw the materials collected by the security organs in person about it. According to him, some places in the text smeared, from which the politician concluded that it contains information that could only be obtained through espionage, but security forces are trying to hide it.Another board member of the "Left" Klaus Ernst (Klaus Ernst) in an interview with Leipziger Volkszeitung reached the statements that you can do without, and all organs of state security. According to him, "they are a danger to democracy."

Ourselves to deal

For the "Left" interceded and other parties, not just the opposition: the SPD, "Green" and the liberal party FDP, which is part of the ruling coalition. In general, they do not deny that in the case of the "Left" is a cause for concern, especially as open source can be tracked without the aid of special services.Thus, the chairman of the "Green" Cem Ozdemir (Cem Oezdemir) said that the deal "left" to political parties. "Service of the constitution we do not need this" - he said. According to the head of the faction of the Social Democrats, Thomas Oppermann (Thomas Oppermann), the intelligence services, of course, there is reason to watch the "Left", but not on such a scale and at this level.A similar opinion was expressed and the faction leader Joerg van Essen liberals (Joerg van Essen). He believes that the surveillance of certain groups within the party is permissible and even necessary, but the observation of members of parliament, and even to the extent it does not support them.On the side of the deputies rose and Minister for Justice, a member of the FDP Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger). In her opinion, such actions are unacceptable security organs - especially given the failure of a gang of neo-Nazis, aided by NPD functionaries.

So what?

Meanwhile, the intelligence agencies themselves were surprised such a violent reaction to his report. Head of Service of the Constitution Heinz Fromm (Heinz Fromm) said that the scandal blown out of nowhere. First, the observation of the "Left" has long been known. Second, it is no secret that the state security organs and the collected data about the deputies as well. And thirdly, in his words, those for whom follow, informed. "So what?" ("So what?") - Fromm concluded. He stressed that in this respect, the deputies do not have any privileges.Moreover, most of the government, and most importantly the chancellor, according to surveillance by deputies from the "Left" legitimate. The representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Philip Shpaushus (Philipp Spauschus) explained that the security services operate within the law, as in the party program "Left" is "basis for left extremist tendencies."

Their policy is really far from the official state. In particular, the party opposed to the intervention of Western countries in the developments in North Africa and the Middle East. In its resolutions, "Left" protest against the intention to dismiss the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, considering it a manifestation of the colonial policy of the West. The German "Left" participated in an attempt to break the blockade of Gaza on ships "Freedom Flotilla". The ultimate goal of its activities the Party considers the establishment of communism.Researcher extremism Eckhard Jesse (Eckhard Jesse) explained why the "Left" are seen as extremists: they still can not pronounce the words "Cuba - a dictatorship, and the GDR was not legal by the state." They just point out that do not consider themselves the successors of the GDR, but that does not mean that the party leadership supports democratic principles, the expert said.Surveillance of members of the party has been going on for years. The last time an extension of this practice in 2008 ordered the then-Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (Wolfgang Schaeuble). In 2009 it was officially supported by the German government, "because the parties are going to the forces that seek to change existing state and social order." And in 2010 confirmed the legality of these measures, the Federal Administrative Court.

The current interior minister, Hans-Peter Friedrich in the ZDF broadcast sided with the Security Service of the constitution and drew a parallel between the "Left" and the National Democrats. He threatened that if the decision will be challenged to follow the one, you have to stop spying and for others. A difference between the deputies of both parties, he seems to not see.Hopes to change the situation a little. Merkel, according to according to her spokesman Steffen Siebert (Steffen Siebert), is not going to change anything, and sees no reason to criticize the intelligence agencies. Asked by reporters whether she believes in this case, Gregor Gysi dangerous to the present constitutional system, Siebert said: "The Chancellor knows a lot of MPs. That she personally thinks about this or that from them - is one thing. Requirements of the law - it is quite another" .

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