Berlin, FRG (Weltexpress). Armament, preparations for war, increasing restrictions on civil rights, extensive digitization and surveillance – Germany on the road to totalitarianism. But there is hardly any resistance to these destructive policies. Writer Wolfgang Bittner draws a parallel between Germany’s politics threatening its existence and its disastrous geopolitical situation. The following article, which deals with state strategies for subjugating the population, is an excerpt from his book Geopolitik im Überblick (Geopolitics at a Glance), just published by Verlag Hintergrund in the Wissen Kompakt series.
The Federal Criminal Police Office „Bundeskriminalamt“ with intelligence service powers
For about two decades now, Germany has been experiencing a rapid decline in democracy. With the so-called BKA Act, which came into force in 2009, the powers of the Federal Criminal Police Office to “ward off danger” were significantly expanded.
At that time, the office was transformed—similar to the FBI—into a central police authority with intelligence service powers, which meant a complete change in the German security system. This was because the strict separation of police and secret services, which had been necessary until then due to the bitter experiences of the Nazi era, was abolished with this “Act on the Prevention of Dangers of International Terrorism by the Federal Criminal Police Office.”
With a revision of the law in 2018 (last amended on July 30, 2024), the BKA also gained the right to conduct preventive investigations without concrete suspicion of a crime as “preliminary investigations.” In doing so, the agency is no longer subject to the authority of the public prosecutor’s office. The exact title is: Act on the Federal Criminal Police Office and Cooperation between the Federal Government and the States („Länder“) in Criminal Police Matters (Federal Criminal Police Office Act – BKAG). The limits are very broad; in fact, there are no longer any limits at all. Anyone who is suspected of a crime can quickly find themselves in a legal vacuum. For example, Section 46 (1) states:
In order to avert an urgent danger to the existence or security of the federal government or a state, or to the life, limb, or liberty of a person or property of significant value whose preservation is in the public interest, the Federal Criminal Police Office may, through the covert use of technical means in or from dwellings
1. eavesdrop on and record a person’s private conversations […]
2. produce photographs and image recordings of this person if averting the danger by other means would be futile or significantly more difficult.
These measures may only be ordered by a court at the request of the president of the BKA or their representative. However, in cases of “imminent danger,” which in practice can quickly arise, the order can also be issued directly by the president of the BKA, opening the floodgates to increasingly unrestrained actions by state security agencies.
Interference with essential civil rights has been made permissible: telephone surveillance, online searches of private computers, extensive data collection and storage, and spying on homes with listening devices and cameras. Preventive measures are permitted to prevent criminal offenses; the homes of suspects and their contacts can be secretly entered and spied on (Section 61 BKAG). The right to refuse to give evidence for journalists, doctors, or lawyers, who are bound by professional secrecy, has been practically abolished within the framework of the BKA’s extended powers of investigation.
A significant step towards a surveillance state was already taken in 2016 with the approval of the “State Trojan” by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. This is software that allows state authorities to hack into the computers and smartphones of suspects and monitor their communications. This enables further serious intrusions into privacy by state authorities that are almost impossible to control.
Discretionary decisions in matters of national security
The terms used in the newer state security laws to grant authorizations are extremely open to interpretation, allowing overzealous or even malicious “state security agents,” of whom there are once again legions, to act virtually at will. Anyone who holds views other than those of the government and its subservient media could, in the opinion of “constitutional protectors,” potentially endanger the foundations or existence of the state. Anyone who questions the causes of the Ukraine conflict or doubts the wisdom of NATO membership could pose a threat. Anyone who has registered a peace demonstration could pose a threat to life and limb and may therefore be spied on. The consequences for individuals and society are unpredictable.
In addition, there is a new, unusually comprehensive criminal offense in the Criminal Code. On October 20, 2022, the German Bundestag passed an amendment to Section 130 of the Criminal Code—incitement of the people—which went largely unnoticed by the public. The extensive wording is difficult for laypeople to understand and is a striking example of ideologically influenced criminal legislation. (…)
The following can be punished: incitement to hatred or violence against certain population groups, as well as trivializing, denying, or condoning genocide or condoning National Socialist violence and arbitrary rule, etc. This can take place in public gatherings, at demonstrations, or even on the internet, for example through “hate comments.”
This vague criminal provision gives prosecutors and courts a very wide margin of discretion. Strictly speaking, this means that anyone who expresses themselves publicly in a manner that is disapproved of by the authorities may be severely punished—a further step toward restricting fundamental rights, in particular freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of science and art.
Special protection, special discrimination
Meanwhile, people in political life are to enjoy special protection from verbal abuse. In the opinion of the legislature, i.e., the people in political life in parliament, the provisions of Sections 185, 186, and 187 of the Criminal Code (insult, defamation, and libel) were not sufficient; Therefore, in 2021, Section 188 was added, which regulates the same offenses against the aforementioned group of people, but with increased penalties.
This was used by the Bamberg District Court. It sentenced the editor-in-chief of the Deutschland-Kurier, David Bendels, to seven months’ suspended imprisonment for publishing a satirical picture of Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser holding a sign reading “I hate freedom of expression.” The court’s decision was criticized by, among others, lawyer and former Vice President of the German Bundestag, Wolfgang Kubicki, who called it “a truly shameful verdict.”
Another victim of Section 188 of the German Criminal Code was a 64-year-old pensioner from Bamberg. He had shared a photo on the online platform X showing Economics Minister Robert Habeck with the caption “Weak-minded (Schwachkopf) PROFESSIONAL,“ similar in design to an advertisement by hair product manufacturer Schwarzkopf. The public prosecutor’s office then obtained a search warrant on the grounds of alleged special public interest in the prosecution. In the early hours of November 12, 2024, the police stood at the pensioner’s door and confiscated his tablet.
Even if one were to accept the completely vague laws that are open to interpretation, these are disproportionate, harassing, and nonsensical measures. The authorities are taking increasingly rigorous and increasingly unlawful action against people who deviate from the prescribed political line. Anyone who does not behave submissively, who criticizes government measures or questions the unproven claims, condemnations, and lies of politicians and journalists, is discredited.
Even former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has been affected
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has not been spared discrimination either. In 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his Bundestag office, including his staff, was taken away from him. The German Bundestag’s budget committee justified its decision by stating that the former chancellor no longer performs any duties related to his office. This is despite the fact that Schröder continues to maintain contacts with Russia that could be important in the future.
In contrast, the US-friendly former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who prevented peace in Ukraine, is allowed to continue to maintain a Bundestag office with nine employees at the state’s expense in order to perform further tasks for the Federal Republic of Germany, including participation in state banquets, state ceremonies, and symposia. And even the controversial former Federal President Christian Wulff and Joachim Gauck, who likes to advocate for democracy and freedom in other countries, are allowed to enjoy a highly privileged, state-funded retirement with offices and staff.
The extent of the malice, not only against Gerhard Schröder, was exemplified by Sparkasse Hannover. It blocked transfers from Nord Stream 2 AG in Switzerland, where Schröder is chairman of the board of directors.1 The Sparkasse justified its action with concerns about penalties for violating sanctions. Although Schröder is not on a sanctions list, Nord Stream 2 AG is a subsidiary of the sanctioned Russian gas company Gazprom. It is suspected that the rejection of the payments may have been made under pressure from Hanover’s mayor, Belit Onay (Alliance 90/The Greens), who has been chairman of the board of Sparkasse Hannover since June 2025. The move was generally welcomed in the media. The headline in the Bild newspaper read: “Sparkasse freezes Schröder’s account for Russian money.” (…)
Notes:
1 See www.bild.de/politik/inland/alt-kanzler-sparkasse-sperrt-schroeders-konto-fuer-russen-geld-682f2ff911c54108e4fe62d9
The above article is an excerpt from the book “Geopolitics at a Glance: Germany, the US, the EU, and Russia,” which was recently published by Verlag Hintergrund.
