Germany
"'These images are horrible from a German perspective,' Hans-Jakob Schindler, a former diplomat in the Middle East and a director of the Counter Extremism Project, told The National. '
We all remember the black-and-white pictures from the 1930s. Having Stars of David on the walls of Jewish buildings ever again in Germany is something I wouldn’t have expected to be possible and really sends some shivers down my spine.'
...
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has long called for Germany to move on from its penance for the past, has expressed support for Israel, a stance which Mr Schindler said corresponds to far-right thought.
'The right-wing extremist scene does anti-Semitism in a much smarter way,' he said, 'that says "we have nothing against the Jews – as long as they are in Israel".'"
"Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project NGO, pointed out that violence online can lead to violence on the streets.
He said Sweden was the focus of an online campaign by Islamists that was intensifying risks for the Nordic country.
The German authorities arrested two brothers from Syria in April, the eldest of whom had allegedly planned to 'carry out an attack on a church in Sweden where many people (were) assembled'.
'This demonstrates that this ongoing Islamist online campaign against Sweden has effects and motivates individuals towards violence,' he said, pointing out that the Israel-Hamas conflict could have a similar effect.'"
"'These bans are one of the most important instruments a democracy has to prevent money flowing to terrorist organizations,' Hans-Jakob Schindler from the transatlantic think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) told DW. However, he added: 'It is always difficult, because in Germany associations and non-profit organizations enjoy a certain degree of protection, and investigations by authorities such as the Office for the Protection of the Constitution are limited when it comes to finances.'
The line is crossed when violence is openly called for or endorsed. 'As long as individuals restrain themselves in this regard, it will be very difficult,' Schindler explained, adding that suspects usually pay close attention to what they say, so as not to attract attention from the authorities."
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed about the financing of Hamas by supporters in Germany and action by the German government.
[Translated from German] "'These bans are one of the most important instruments a democracy has to prevent money from flowing to terrorist organizations' Hans-Jakob Schindler from the transatlantic think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) told DW. But: 'It is always difficult because in Germany clubs and non-profit organizations enjoy a certain level of protection when it comes to their activities, and investigations by important authorities such as the Office for the Protection of the Constitution when it comes to finances are limited.'"
"The festivals — which are often declared political events, making them harder to ban and ensuring that any profit will be tax-exempt — typically feature a right-wing extremist speaker or seminar, according to Hans-Jakob Schindler, the Berlin-based senior director of the Counter Extremism Project. And while mixed martial arts tournaments in Europe typically feature fighters from different racial groups, these events allow only white fighters to take part. ...
But the message underpinning the events, said Alexander Ritzmann, a senior adviser at the Counter-Extremism Project, is clear: 'that whites are under threat on all kinds of levels.'"
CEP Senior Research Analyst Sofia Koller quoted on the case of Marcia M., a female ISIS returnee on trial in Germany.
CEP Senior Research Analyst Sofia Koller interviewed as an expert for main German news magazine “Tagesthemen” of the German Public TV with an assessment of returnee Jennifer W.’s verdict.
CEP Senior Research Analyst Sofia Koller's blog quoted: "Eine englischsprachige Blogreihe des Counter Extremism Project widmet sich den Strafprozessen verschiedener Frauen. Sie haben sich dem „Islamischen Staat“ angeschlossen, sind nach Deutschland zurückgekehrt und stehen nun vor Gericht. Der dritte Beitrag erörtert den Urteilsspruch im Strafprozess von Nadine K.: Für ihre Verbrechen im Namen des „IS“, auch an einer Jesidin, wird sie zu neun Jahren und drei Monaten Gefängnis verurteilt, meldet Die Zeit. Das Urteil ist noch nicht rechtskräftig."
"On this week’s edition of 'The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent JJ Green,' Dr. Hans-Jacob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, says it’s a case of 'back to the future.'"
"A couple of days ago we had the first instance where the Islamic State Khorasan province, which is the affiliate of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, had apparently recruited and then asked to pose as refugees and travel to Germany individuals from Central Asia—so Tajiks, Uzbeks, countries that border Afghanistan. And were assumed there is some Islamic State networks. These were arrested while they were scouting targets in Germany, trying to procure weapons, and organize terror attacks. This is fundamentally different from the arrests in 2020, where also Central Asians Tajiks were arrested in Germany, but they were already in Germany when they were contacted by ISIL or they contacted ISIL and then were asked to conduct terror."
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