German army cracks down on extremist soldiers and recruits
The German Ministry of Defense surprised the public by admitting to the dismissal of 62 soldiers who exhibited racist and extremist behaviors. Additionally, 94 candidates seeking to join the army were rejected for similar reasons, as revealed by the head of the department.
1:01 PM EST, December 4, 2024
The German army faced a wave of right-wing extremism within its ranks last year, leading to the dismissal of 62 soldiers for racist and extremist behaviors, according to information from the Ministry of Defense conveyed by the RND portal. The dismissals quickly made headlines in the German media.
The decisions to dismiss the soldiers were based, among other things, on their making racist or right-wing extremist comments directed toward colleagues. There was also significant discussion about the public support shown by some soldiers for the radical right-wing movement known as the Reich Citizens.
Additionally, in 2023, 94 candidates were rejected from the army recruitment process due to "doubts about their loyalty to the constitution", as the Ministry of Defense reported in response to an inquiry by the Left parliamentary group in the Bundestag.
German army dismisses soldiers
The Bundeswehr received 205 reports of incidents involving right-wing extremist, racist, or anti-Semitic behavior. According to ministry data, these incidents were briefly described.
As reported by the RND portal, some dismissed soldiers had directed racist remarks toward other members of the army and publicly expressed support for the radically right-wing Reich Citizens movement.
The Bundeswehr comprises over 180,000 soldiers and employs more than 80,000 civilian workers. Like other sectors, there has been a notable increase in cases of displaying extremist views within the military.
