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ezra ist die Beratung für Betroffene rechter,
rassistischer und antisemitischer Gewalt in Thüringen
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Since the racist mobilization in 2015, for example by “Thügida” and AfD, ezra, the counseling for victims of right-wing, racist and anti-Semitic violence in Thuringia, has counted 713 right-wing motivated attacks. Compared to 2018 (166), the Thuringian Victim Advice Center registered a decrease to 108 cases of right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence in 2019. Racism remains the most common motive, followed by attacks against political opponents. Most attacks were again counted in Erfurt, Jena and in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district. A total of at least 155 people were affected by right-wing violence in Thuringia in 2019.
“In 2019, right-wing violence in Thuringia will remain at the alarmingly high level of recent years, which is far higher than in 2015. The risk of right-wing terrorist attacks is extremely high. The decline compared to the previous year should be assessed with caution, ”warns Franz Zobel, project coordinator at ezra. The victim advice center assumes a high number of unreported cases. One reason for this is seen in the increasing normalization of right-wing and racist violence. If there are no consequences for the perpetrators, this can lead to resignation among those affected and a loss of trust in investigative authorities and the judiciary, which means that attacks, for example, are never reported. In addition there is “a climate of fear, which is characterized by concrete experiences in everyday life,
It remains to be stated “that right-wing and racist violence have been escalating for years and the corresponding consequences have not been drawn. In response to the serious crisis for democracy and human rights, there is now an urgent need for a cross-party alliance that focuses on the prospects and demands of those affected and finally implements concrete measures, ”says Zobel. Many of the demands of those affected can be found in the recommendations for action of the two Thuringian NSU committees of inquiry and in the “Racism and Discrimination” commission, which for the most part have not been implemented to date. The ezra project coordinator speaks of a “reform backlog that numerous people are cruelly feeling every day.”
The victim advice center sees another problem in the lack of law enforcement by investigative authorities and the judiciary. If, for example, six years after the brutal attack by militant neo-Nazis on a fun fair in Ballstädt in February 2014, none of the convicted perpetrators is still in custody, “this is not only an enormous burden for those affected, but also signals organized racists and neo-Nazis that they have no fear of consequences for their actions, ”explains Zobel.
In conclusion, Zobel campaigns for more solidarity with those affected by racism, anti-Semitism, right-wing agitation and violence. “A culture of solidarity is needed that gives those affected hope in these times, through which they receive concrete support,” the project coordinator appeals to the responsibility of everyone. This was shown, for example, after the events on February 5 in the Thuringian state parliament or the right-wing terrorist attack in Hanau at various locations in Thuringia.
The statistics of ezra only include those cases in which the criteria set by the Association of Advice Centers for Victims of Right-wing, Racist and Anti-Semitic Violence (VBRG) were used as quality standards and which are based on the Federal Criminal Police Office’s definition of “Political motivated crime – right “, a right motive is recognizable. Not all cases published in the ezra chronicle are included in the statistics and vice versa.
ezra is sponsored by the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM). Since April 2011, the counseling center has been supporting people who are attacked because perpetrators assign them to a group of people they reject. In 2019, 176 people were advised by ezra. The victim counseling center is financed through the federal program “Live Democracy!” And the Thuringian State Program for Democracy, Tolerance and Open- Mindedness “DenkBunt” .
Source: ezra
