Wilfried Peters becomes the new head of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution!

Wilfried Peters becomes the new head of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution!

Yesterday there was wild discussion: The new head of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been chosen. Wilfried Peters, the current vice president of the Berlin Administrative Court, will take up his new office on July 14th. Interior Minister René Wilke announced the appointment and described Peters as the “first choice” for this responsible position. Interestingly, Wilke, who was previously active for the Left Party, only ventured into non-party politics a year ago and has only been in office for a few weeks.

Peters brings a lot of experience. At 62, he is a trained lawyer who has been working in the administrative court since 1999 and previously worked in the Brandenburg Ministry of Justice and in the administration of the state parliament. He describes his new task as “extremely exciting and at the same time very demanding”. Nevertheless, his appointment is also viewed critically, especially in light of the current Office for the Protection of the Constitution affair in Brandenburg.

Background: Troubling times for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution

The turbulent history of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution should not be neglected. Peters' predecessor Jörg Müller surprisingly had to resign in May after there was massive criticism of the AfD's upgrading as a right-wing extremist movement. The green-red coalition in the Brandenburg Interior Ministry under former Interior Minister Katrin Lange also felt the blow after her resignation announcement.

This situation shows the interconnections between politics, the secret service and the judiciary, which have always been a sensitive issue in Germany. In particular, the monitoring of political parties that are classified as “unconstitutional” in the Office for the Protection of the Constitution poses risks. The Socialist Equality Party (SGP) has been declared “left-wing extremist” in the past, which causes additional unease. Peters was previously involved in a case in which the SGP sued against her classification, which was dismissed.

Preview of the challenges in office

The new head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution will therefore operate in a climate of mistrust and political tension. He is taking over an institution that is controversial both among the population and in politics. The main task of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which is organized as a secret service without police powers, is to collect and evaluate information about anti-constitutional activities. Cooperation with other secret services, both German and international, is also an essential part of his work.

Compliance with basic democratic rights is seen as a central challenge. The political reactions to the decisions of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution are being watched critically not only by the governing parties, but also by the opposition, which puts the new boss in the spotlight.

It remains to be seen how Peters manages the difficult balance between security and freedom. Further developments in Brandenburg and the reactions of the political landscape will certainly continue to cause excitement.

For the entire topic, which has far-reaching historical connotations and has recently been further illuminated by several scandals, it is worth taking a look at the comprehensive information available at WSWS, RBB24 and Bpb can be found.