German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has called for protests against right-wing extremism, claiming in an op-ed published in the Saturday edition of Bild newspaper that Germany "has a terrorism problem."

In the editorial, Maas responded to the recent murder of a German district president, Walter Lübcke, as well as death threats directed towards pro-migrant politicians Henriette Reker and Andreas Hollstein, the mayors of the western German cities of Cologne and Altena respectively.

"Eighty years after the beginning of World War II, politicians have again become victims of right-wing terrorists. Because of their beliefs. Because of their commitment to our country," Maas wrote.

"All this shows what many still close their eyes to even now: Germany has a terrorism problem."

Maas proposed a Thursday protest for democracy, similar to the "Fridays for future" climate change protest, where Germans "show that we are more than right-wing radicals, anti-Semites and dividers."

Read more: German politician's death 'execution,' says civic head

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline Germany 2009: Stabbing of woman in Dresden court Marwa El-Sherbini, a pharmacist who lived with her husband and son in Dresden, was killed in Dresden's district court on July 1, 2009. She was stabbed by a 28-year-old Russian-German man shortly after testifying against him in a verbal abuse case. He'd previously called her a "terrorist" and "Islamist." El-Sherbini is considered to be the first murder victim of an Islamophobic attack in Germany.

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline Norway 2011: Mass murderer Breivik carries out terror attacks Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in two lone-wolf terror attacks on July 22, 2011. He first set off a bomb in the government district in Oslo before killing young people attending a summer camp on the island of Utoya. Prior to the attack, Breivik published a manifesto where he decried multiculturalism and the "Islamization of Europe."

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline USA 2015: Chapel Hill shooting Three university students — Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha — were shot dead by their 46-year-old neighbor on February 10, 2015. The shooter described himself as an opponent of organized religion and reportedly repeatedly threatened and harassed the victims. The killings sparked outrage online, with millions of tweets using the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter.

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline USA 2015: Church massacre in Charleston On June 17, 2015, a white supremacist opened fire at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine African-American worshipers were killed, including a pastor at the church, which is one of the oldest black congregations in the United States. The 21-year-old suspect was convicted of a federal hate crime and sentenced to death.

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline Germany 2016: Mass shooting in Munich A mass shooting at a shopping mall in Munich on July 22, 2016 wounded some 36 people and killed 10 — including the 18-year-old shooter. The perpetrator, a German of Iranian descent, made xenophobic and racist comments and idolized school shooters, according to police. He also suffered from depression, was frequently bullied and wanted to take revenge on people with immigrant backgrounds.

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline UK 2017: Attack on Finsbury Park mosque On June 19, 2017, a 47-year-old man killed one person and wounded another 10 after driving a van into a group of pedestrians near the Finsbury Park mosque in north London. All of the victims were Muslims who were on their way to take part in special night prayers during Ramadan. The perpetrator later stated that he was motivated by a "hatred of Islam" and was sentenced to life in prison.

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline USA 2017: Car attack during neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville One woman was killed and dozens were wounded when a white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017. The counterprotesters had been demonstrating against the Unite the Right rally, a gathering of white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. The suspect was sentenced to life in prison.

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline Canada 2017: Attack on mosque in Quebec A gunman opened fire on worshipers at the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City in late January 2017, killing six people and wounding over a dozen. The shooting took place during evening prayers. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the shooting as "a terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge."

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline USA 2018: Tree of Life Synagogue shooting On October 27, 2018, a 46-year-old gunman opened fire at a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and wounding seven. He reportedly shouted anti-Semitic slurs during the attack and previously posted conspiracy theories online. It was the deadliest attack on Jewish people in US history.

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline Germany 2019: New Year's attack in Bottrop and Essen Shortly after midnight as people were out celebrating, a 50-year-old man carried out targeted attacks on immigrants in the western German cities of Bottrop and Essen — injuring eight people, one seriously. He deliberately drove his car at two Syrian and Afghan families who were out celebrating with their children in Bottrop. German authorities said "he had a clear intent to kill foreigners."

Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline New Zealand 2019: Twin terror attacks on mosques in Christchurch At least 50 people were killed and dozens others were injured in twin terror attacks at mosques in Christchurch. Officials called it a "right-wing extremist attack" and the deadliest shooting in New Zealand's history. One of the gunmen livestreamed the attack and posted a racist manifesto online before the attack. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it "one of New Zealand's darkest days." Author: Rebecca Staudenmaier, Nermin Ismail



'Terror is terror'

Maas said Germany had more than 12,000 violent right-wing extremists, but 450 of them were able to stay underground "even though they are wanted with an arrest warrant."

The German foreign minister said that Germans turn a blind eye to right-wing attacks and that right-wing terrorism should be identified as such.

Read more: Opinion: German politician's murder is an attack on democracy

"Far too often, there has been talk of 'individual cases' or 'rampages' when it comes to attacks from the right," Maas said. "Terror is terror. There is nothing to relativize."

Maas called on Germans, as advocates of democracy, to "draw clear boundaries," saying that "democracy dies with indifference."

Also on Saturday, the Tagezeitung newspaper published the names of 195 people who had died as a result of right-wing violence in Germany since 1990. The list appeared on the publication's front page with the headline: "Lübcke is not an isolated case."

Politically motivated crime

On June 2, Lübcke, the president of the regional council of the central German city of Kassel, was found dead at his home. Police arrested a 45-year-old suspect two weeks later and federal prosecutors are investigating the killing under the assumption that it was politically motivated.

Read more: Killing of Kassel district president leaves locals aghast

On Thursday, German politicians expressed outrage over death threats received by multiple politicians, including Mayors Reker and Hollstein. Police say the threats likely also stem from right-wing extremists.

Last month, Germany's Interior Ministry revealed that politically motivated crimes in Germany decreased for the second straight year in 2018. However, it found a rise in anti-Semitic and xenophobic hate crimes, mostly committed by right-wing perpetrators.

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dv/aw (AFP, dpa)

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