Discrimination against Minorities and Right-Wing Ideology in Security Agencies

One of the central tasks of the police and Bundeswehr is to protect our free and democratic society. Anti-democratic ideas are not uncommon, however, in all parts of society – including within the security agencies. In recent years, right-wing structures and networks have been identified within these institutions and made public. It is evident that these groups have adopted an understanding of their role that is rooted in the authoritarian traditions of the German Empire and National Socialism. Discrimination against minorities in the army and police destabilises democratic structures and replaces them with authoritarian ones.

When security agencies engage in discrimination, it is not only the targets of their harassment who are affected; the society based on equality and freedom also suffers. Racism, antisemitism, sexism and anti-Roma discrimination are a direct attack on the foundations of democracy. Employees of the police, armed forces and intelligence services, therefore, should take a critical look at the past as a way to better prepare themselves for current challenges.

On 7 May 2024, we invited some 65 members of the police and Bundeswehr, as well as people working in history and civic education, to join us in a discussion of historical and current issues.

In his welcoming remarks, Dr Matthias Haß, Deputy Director of the House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Site (GHWK), explained why the GHWK of all places was inviting people to such a conference. On 20 January 1942, fifteen high-ranking representatives of the SS, the Nazi Party, and various Reich ministries met at this site to discuss and coordinate plans to deport and murder European Jews. Since its opening in 1992, an important aspect of the GHWK’s work has involved engaging different professional groups in discussions about the role of the administration in the Holocaust and encouraging participants to reflect on their professional practices today and the role each individual plays in combatting discrimination.  

The conference was part of the “Citizen in Uniform. Historical Responsibility, Orientation and Competence” project, financed by the EVZ Foundation. Johanna Sokoließ – a consultant at the EVZ – presented the project. In cooperation with members of the German Armed Forces, modules are being developed to encourage reflection on various forms of discrimination in the past and present. The project aims to raise people’s awareness of the importance of their own actions as part of a strong democracy, to test methods of intervention and to develop prevention mechanisms.

In her introduction to the conference, Dr (des.) Verena Bunkus, a research associate at the GHWK and project manager, emphasised that, in all phases of the project, the perspectives of members of the Bundeswehr who had (potentially) suffered discrimination were considered. During the project, the participants had the opportunity to work with various institutions of the Bundeswehr and exchange information with interest groups in a comfortable atmosphere. That representatives of these agencies are now also involved in the programme is very important and a great boon to the project.  Bunkus’ colleague, Dr Jakob Müller, added that the GHWK was also addressing the theme “Police in Dictatorship, Police in Democracy” with project partners from the police, many of whom attended the symposium. He noted the importance of remembering how National Socialism represented a turning point in the public trust of state authorities. Under the Nazis, police officers, whose job was to fight crime, became murderers and criminals on behalf of the state. Doctors and nurses assisted in murdering patients, and German soldiers carried out a war of extermination in Eastern Europe in violation of all international laws governing war.

The first panel focused on the question of how historical and political educational work can address the perspectives of people affected by discrimination and the options available to them. How did Jews, Sinti and Roma in the army and police defend themselves when confronted with anti-democratic policies and persecuted by National Socialism? 

To answer this question, Dr Jens Dobler, a research associate at the Magnus Hirschfeld Society, presented the example of Martha Mosse. Mosse came from an influential Jewish publishing family and began working at the Berlin police headquarters in 1922. In 1926, she became the first woman in Prussia to be promoted to “police councillor.” She had lived with her partner, the librarian Erna Stock, since 1919. In 1933, Mosse was dismissed without pay based on the “Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service.” In 1934 she began working for the Housing Assistance Centre run by the Jewish community. As part of her work, in 1941, she was forced to assist in the deportation of Berlin Jews, an activity for which she was criticised after the war. After the war, Mosse worked again for the police and was active in the women’s movement until her death in 1977. Dobler emphasised the importance of examining the life of Martha Mosse, in particular when engaging in educational work with members of the police force. He suggested using her life story to discuss the actions and behaviour of the police.

Daniel Tonn, an employee of the Educational Forum against Antiziganism, presented the biography of Walter Winter, a German Sinto who grew up in a family of showmen. Winter was drafted into the Reich Labour Service in 1938 and into the Navy in 1940. Discharged from service two years later for racist reasons, he had to perform forced labour until he was deported to Auschwitz in 1943. While there, he became engaged in resistance in the BIIe section, which was also known as the “gypsy camp”. After performing strenuous forced labour in Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen, he was drafted to serve as a soldier in the notorious “Dirlewanger Special Unit” shortly before the war’s end. He suffered a “second persecution” after 1945 when he struggled to regain his German citizenship. Tonn presented Winter’s life story to show which options were available to him and in which strategies he engaged. He also demonstrated how text passages could be used in educational work. 

The second panel focussed on current issues. Moderator Jakob Müller began by stating that the crimes of National Socialism created a deep-seated scepticism and mistrust of state institutions, particularly among minorities who suffered persecution. How did inhuman attitudes and actions manifest themselves in the security agencies and what is the significance of the speakers’ findings for the current work of security agencies? 

Caroline Walter, a journalist and author, began by speaking about AfD politicians in the Bundeswehr, some of whom are being monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and have been banned by the Bundeswehr from wearing its uniform. She finds it particularly disturbing that right-wing ideas also play a role at the management level and that a retired general is currently campaigning for the AfD. All members of the German Armed Forces who receive weapons training are presently required to undergo a security check by the Military Counter-Intelligence Service. She noted, however, that these checks take far too long and are therefore not very effective.

The next speaker, Dr Markus End, a research associate at the Centre for Research on Antisemitism at TU Berlin, presented his work on anti-Roma investigation methods within security agencies. He showed that since the late 19th century there has been a discriminatory police practice of recording Sinti and Roma separately. This practice continues to exist in part today, with the difference that the police now rely on so-called “diversionary communication” that does not specifically name Sinti and Roma. Instead, it includes descriptions such as “mobile ethnic minority (MEM)” and lists certain criminal offences separately. In some crime statistics, for example, the category “daytime domestic burglary” (Tageswohnungseinbruch, TWE) was used to record burglaries attributed to Sinti and Roma – regardless of the time of day that the crime occurred. In the discussion that followed, it became clear that members of the police force attending the conference were aware of End's findings and that some federal states have already begun to address this problematic practice.

Deborah Hartmann, Director of the GHWK, moderated the evening panel, during which representatives of the police, the Bundeswehr and interest groups discussed the work they are engaged in to raise awareness of discrimination. Rainer L. Hoffmann, a board member of the Association of Jewish Soldiers, spoke about his decision to join the Bundeswehr. As a West Berliner and child of Holocaust survivors, he had not been required to serve, but he decided to join anyway in response to the Berlin Wall and the threat posed by the Soviet Union. He was one of the first Jewish soldiers in the Bundeswehr and was an early member of the Association of Jewish Soldiers. As an interest group for Jewish members of the Bundeswehr, the association ensures their voices are heard. 

Anastasia Biefang has long been committed to the interests of queer members of the Bundeswehr. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the QueerBw interest group, which emerged from the working group of homosexual members of the Bundeswehr established in 2002. She drew attention to the long struggle for the recognition of queer soldiers, which is ongoing and in which she is involved. 

Tim Juraske from the police union (Gewerkschaft der Polizei, GdP) reported on the Diversity Working Group, which was founded a few weeks earlier: The GdP would like the composition of the police force to reflect society’s diversity more strongly. There is much potential for growth in this respect, and the working group aims to support and facilitate these efforts. 

Martin Rose, head of Department VIER (Diversity [Vielfalt], Interculturality, Ethics and Religion) at the Bundeswehr's Internal Leadership Centre, stated that the department takes the concerns expressed by diverse groups seriously. He also acknowledged that the Bundeswehr still has a lot to do: He is currently pushing for the deployment of imams since there are Christian and Jewish chaplains in the Bundeswehr but no Muslim military chaplains. 

In conclusion, Winfrid Wenzel reported on his work as Antisemitism Commissioner of the Berlin police. In this capacity, he acts as a contact for Berlin’s diverse Jewish communities and as a specialist within the agency. He described the learning process taking place within the agency in regards to taking action against antisemitism and achieving better communication.

The event was fully booked long before it began, demonstrating the high demand for opportunities to engage in exchanges like those offered by this symposium. The discussions took place in an open, contentious, but respectful atmosphere, which was reflected in the diverse presentations. Participants emphasised both during and after the event that this exchange, also between the Bundeswehr and the police, was important for creating an atmosphere in which topics such as discrimination and how to deal with right-wing ideas could be discussed.