Saxony is taking action against extremism: abolishing the delegitimization category!

Saxony is taking action against extremism: abolishing the delegitimization category!

The debate about the categorization of extremist efforts in Germany is gaining momentum. In 2021, the domestic secret service created the category “Delegitimization of the State Relevant to the Protection of the Constitution”. This was set up to monitor actors who cannot be classified into existing categories, especially in light of the protest movements during the corona pandemic. But now views on their benefits are changing. How World reports, more and more constitutional protection officers are showing that they see the category as dispensable. This led to Saxony deciding to no longer use the category from January 1, 2026.

Single again. Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) welcomed this step, but did not entirely condemn the original creation of the category. Of the approximately 1,500 people who were classified in this category according to the 2024 Office for the Protection of the Constitution report, 250 are considered to be violent. It is also clear that these actors despise democratic processes and institutions and thus endanger the functioning of the state.

Background of the categorization

Like on the side of Hesse's Office for the Protection of the Constitution As can be read, the category was created in response to increasing protests against government measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Corona crisis, a large number of people from right-wing extremism and the Reichsbürger scenes used these turbulent times for their anti-constitutional attacks. Even people with no previous experience of extremism came to the scene and acted against liberal democracy in order to endanger the state infrastructure and elected decision-makers.

This new phenomenon area was created to include those actors who attempt to undermine the basic democratic order or incite extremist-motivated acts of violence. There is even a supposed right of resistance that goes against the rule of law. But the classification as extremists raises concerns among many critics.

The price of criticism

Labeling critics of the government as extremists is met with significant resistance. The lawyer Dietrich Murswiek expressed concerns that the terms in this new category are unclear and problematic. Critics could easily be classified as “delegitimizers.” The discussion about categorization and its methodological and content-related design is ongoing intensively, and there are fears that the right to criticize the government is endangered. The 2021 Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution sheds critical light on this debate, noting that striking statements about the excessive demands placed on state authorities in crisis situations can quickly be viewed as potentially extremist, which shifts the boundaries of permissible expression of opinion LTO reported.

The developments in Saxony could also have effects nationwide. An abolition of the category at the federal level is becoming increasingly likely now that the new leadership of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is being reorganized under Vice Presidents Sinan Selen and Silke Willems. A decision on the future use of this controversial category is expected in the coming months.

The course is being set anew – not just for Saxony, but for all of Germany. It will be interesting to see how the discussion and the practical consequences of this important reform will develop.