New head of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution: Wilfried Peters takes over!

New head of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution: Wilfried Peters takes over!

On Monday, July 14, 2025, Dr. Wilfried Peters takes up his new position as head of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Interior Minister René Wilke, who is considered non-party, describes Peters as his preferred candidate and praises his level-headed, responsible and competent manner. Peters, who was previously vice president of the Berlin Administrative Court, brings extensive experience in the areas of police and regulatory law as well as constitutional protection law. Its goal will be to increase the legal validity of the classifications of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and to ensure procedural security in court, as rbb24 reports.

The changes in the management of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution should not be underestimated in context. Peters sees the new position as an exciting and demanding challenge. This is particularly important at a time when trust in the Office for the Protection of the Constitution needs to be strengthened. Among other things, amendments to the Constitutional Protection Act are planned to promote procedural clarity, which Peters sees as an urgent concern. During his professional career, he headed the 1st Chamber of the Berlin Administrative Court for more than 15 years and was also active in various security law matters, which prepares him well for the tasks ahead.

Political reactions and challenges

The restructuring of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution comes at a time when political tensions are running high. The AfD expresses distrust of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and sees it as an instrument of the government. On the other hand, the Union is calling for an expansion of the powers of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, while the government coalition made up of the SPD and BSW is already planning changes to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Wilke emphasizes that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution should act legally and task-oriented and not based on political motives, a statement that sets a clear line in the currently heated debate.

Rainer Genilke from the CDU warns that a possible weakening of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution could endanger democracy. The left is also skeptical, but at the same time calls for the abolition of the protection of the constitution, but also recognizes the need to protect the constitution. These divergent views and demands make it clear that the new leadership faces major challenges in regaining the trust of the population while ensuring effective protection against extremism.

Current extremism situation

The issue of extremism remains highly topical. Interior Minister Wilke will present a report on extremist activities in Brandenburg on Wednesday, July 16th. The increase in right-wing extremists will also be discussed, which reached a “historic high” last year, as tagesspiegel reports. The number of right-wing extremists rose by 230 to a total of 3,085, with 1,300 of them considered violence-oriented. There are also worrying increases in the number of so-called Reich citizens and self-administrators, whose number rose by 350 to 1,000.

These figures and the corresponding challenges illustrate the relevance of the new head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Wilfried Peters, and the tasks that lie ahead of him. The coming months will be crucial not only to consolidate the legal foundations, but also to strengthen citizens' trust in the institution of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.