Germany is dedicating 600 new jobs in response to neo-Nazi extremism, Vice News reported.
Far-right violence in Germany is on the rise. However, the country is creating 600 new jobs between two divisions — 300 jobs within the Criminal Police Office and 300 jobs within the Office for the Protection of the Constitution — to combat the issues.
In December, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced his intention behind increasing the country's responsibilities in overwatching and preventing neo-Nazi attacks, Vice News reported.
"Germany has to become more active against the far-right," Seehofer told reporters via Vice News. "As a consequence of Halle, we want to assure the public — many steps are being taken."
There have been multiple terrorist attacks in Germany: a gunman killed two people near a synagogue in Halle, reported by the Washington Post; an extremist stabbed the pro-immigration mayor of Altena, Andreas Hollstein, in the neck in 2017, reported by USA Today; and a far-right neo-Nazi shot Walter Lübcke, a German politician well-known for his pro-refugee policies, in the head.
The far-right extremist that killed the politician had a previous criminal record and apparent ties with neo-Nazis, CNN reported.
"There has never been a case like this in the history of [modern Germany]," Viola Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, said via Vice News. The German organization works to combat the far-right.
Back in December 2019, Seehofer said that right-wing extremists had left an "ugly blood trail" in Germany.
"Violence is increasing, propaganda [offenses] are increasing," head of criminal police Holger Münch said via Yahoo.
Currently, the criminal police are tasked with monitoring and combatting far-right speech online, as well as potentially outlawing groups that spread hate, Yahoo reported. Right-wing extremism is a problem within Germany's security forces, so much so, that military intelligence service has to launch investigations into several individuals.
Authorities in Germany have said there were at least 24,000 people classed as right-wing extremists in 2018, and a considerable number of them are potentially violent, according to Deutsche Welle, a German news outlet. The DW reported that Germany's top military intelligence agency has increased by 30% in the wake of suspected extremists.
In 2019, Vice News reported there are more than 32,200 right-wing extremists.