The Berlin judge and former AfD member of the Bundestag Birgit Malsack-Winkemann is one of the suspects who was arrested in the nationwide raid against the so-called Reichsbürger scene. "We will exhaust all instruments to remove the accused completely from the judiciary," said Berlin's Senator for Justice Lena Kreck (left) on Wednesday on request.
Kreck had recently tried to prevent the 58-year-old from returning to the judiciary, but had failed before the service court for judges. "The investigations have to be awaited, but apparently the Senate administration was right in its assessment," she said after the arrest.
From the Bundestag back to the judiciary
Malsack-Winkemann sat for the AfD in the Bundestag from 2017 to 2021, in March 2022 she returned to the judiciary and works at the Berlin Regional Court. From the point of view of the federal prosecutor, the arrested persons belong to a terrorist organization. On Wednesday morning, the authority had a total of 25 people from the so-called Reich Citizens' Scene arrested nationwide. The federal prosecutor accuses the accused of having prepared the overthrow of the state.
Traffic light parliamentary group leader: Democracy is defensive
After the large-scale anti-terrorist raid, the group leaders of the traffic light coalition emphasized the ability of democracy to defend itself. The fact that a former AfD member of the Bundestag is also among the suspects is very worrying, said Rolf Mützenich (SPD) on Wednesday in Berlin at a joint press appearance. He said: "The fact that parliament is obviously becoming more and more the focus of those who are prepared to possibly use violence affects parliamentarians, but that must not prevent them from doing their work."
Green party leader Katharina Dröge said: "We take what we learned today very seriously. Right-wing extremist terrorism is one of the greatest threats to our democracy." FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr said that if it is confirmed that a former AfD member of the Bundestag was involved in a conspiracy, it shows the quagmire in which the AfD as a party finds itself. Dürr: "Their concern is by no means about Germany, but in truth about the destruction of parliamentary democracy. And as parliamentary group leaders, we are protecting this parliamentary democracy, which is being attacked from this side."
Kreck should be retired
The Berlin Senate Department of Justice and Senator Kreck wanted to retire Malsack-Winkemann. As a judge, she was no longer impartial, they argued in court. She had repeatedly and publicly "excluded refugees and belittled them because of their origin" in the Bundestag and in debates and on the Internet "made constructed, obviously false statements about refugees".
Malsack-Winkemann said at the time that she had separated the tasks and after leaving the Bundestag "reacted immediately and distanced herself from it". The court had rejected her retirement with reference to the freedom of speech in the Bundestag guaranteed by the Basic Law. The decision of last October is not yet final.
