A new SPIEGEL TV podcast warns of the return of the 'baseball bat years': right-wing extremism is booming, neo-nazis are getting younger and more violent. Reporters share experiences from demos and raids against radical groups.
The 'baseball bat years' are back, warns the SPIEGEL TV podcast 'Im Verhör'. Host Christina Pohl speaks with reporters Thomas Heise and Henrik Neumann about the rise of violence-ready neo-nazis and growing right-wing extremism in Germany. Neumann describes how a thousand voices chant 'Neumann, verpiss dich!' at demos while he reports on radical right-wing groups sprouting like mushrooms from the social media swamp.
A key incident is the 2024 attack on SPD politician Matthias Ecke by members of the 'Elblandrevolte', a group monitored by state security. Ecke was beaten hospital-ready. The perpetrators are getting younger: young neo-nazis assault political opponents on the open street, and right-wing extremism is hip again.
Heise accompanied a major raid against the group 'Deutsche Jugend voran' in Berlin. In the bedrooms of young men, some still living with their parents, officers found illegal weapons, crowbars, and balaclavas. The podcast highlights the difference from the 1990s: today, the rightward shift is fueled by the AfD and a broad societal trend.
'Im Verhör' covers crime cases, clans, and gangs in multiple episodes, delving into facts with experts. The podcast is free on apps like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.