Right-wing movements and counter-movements
Public-record overview of notable right-wing organisations and events in postwar Germany, alongside the civic and institutional responses. Limited to broadly documented facts; not an exhaustive list. For coded language they use, see the vocabulary guide.
Scale
Scale, per the 2024 Verfassungsschutzbericht (published June 2025): the right-wing-extremist Personenpotenzial grew to 50,250 (from 40,600 in 2023, a ~25% jump in one year). Of these, 15,300 are classified as gewaltorientiert (violence-oriented), up from 14,500. Reichsbürger und Selbstverwalter are counted separately at 26,000 (2023: 25,000).
Right-wing organisations and incidents
| Name | Active | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NPD / Die Heimat | 1964 (renamed 2023) | The Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands was renamed "Die Heimat" in 2023. The Bundesverfassungsgericht rejected a banning attempt in 2017 (too marginal) but stripped its public party financing in 2024. |
| Republikaner | 1983 | Right-populist split from the CSU; significant in 1990s state elections, largely irrelevant today. |
| Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) | 2013 | Founded as a Eurosceptic professorial party; now in every Landtag and the Bundestag. The Verfassungsschutz classifies several Landesverbände as gesichert rechtsextrem ("confirmed right-wing extremist"), and the federal party as a Verdachtsfall. |
| Identitäre Bewegung | 2012 (DE chapter) | Ethno-nationalist youth movement; classified as right-wing extremist by the Verfassungsschutz since 2019. |
| Reichsbürger & Selbstverwalter | documented growth post-2010 | Reject the legitimacy of the BRD. 26,000 adherents per the 2024 Verfassungsschutzbericht (published June 2025), up from 25,000 the year before; ~2,600 classified as gewaltorientiert (violence-oriented). December 2022 arrests in the Prinz-Reuss-Verschwörung (alleged coup plot) brought broad attention. |
| NSU (Nationalsozialistischer Untergrund) | active 1998-2011 | Underground cell responsible for 10 racist murders (2000-2007), two bombings, and bank robberies. Trial of Beate Zschäpe and accomplices ended 2018. |
| Halle synagogue attack | 9 October 2019 | Antisemitic attempted mass shooting at a synagogue on Yom Kippur; failed entry; two bystanders murdered. |
| Hanau shooting | 19 February 2020 | Far-right racist murdered nine people of migration background in two shisha bars before killing his mother and himself. |
Counter-movements and institutional responses
| Name / event | What |
|---|---|
| Mass demos January-February 2024 | After Correctiv revealed a Potsdam meeting where AfD figures and others reportedly discussed "Remigration" plans, weeks of nationwide demonstrations drew low millions cumulatively across hundreds of cities. |
| "Wir sind mehr" concert (Chemnitz 2018) | Free open-air anti-racism concert in response to far-right marches after a fatal stabbing; ~65,000 attendees. |
| Omas gegen Rechts | Grandmother-led civic group, founded in Austria 2017, German branch follows. Visible at demos with distinctive signs. |
| Bündnis für Demokratie und Toleranz (BfDT) | Federal-funded umbrella initiative since 2000 supporting local civic projects against extremism. |
| Amadeu Antonio Stiftung | Foundation since 1998, named after a Mozambican murdered in a racist attack in 1990; tracks right-wing violence and funds counter-projects. |
| Antifaschistische Aktion (Antifa) | Heterogeneous, decentralised anti-fascist scene. Not a single organisation; ranges from mainstream civic groups to autonomous activists. |
| Verfassungsschutz monitoring | The domestic intelligence service publicly publishes the annual Verfassungsschutzbericht listing and analysing right-wing extremist organisations. Federal and state Verfassungsschutz agencies share the work. |
| Civic education by bpb | Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung produces free educational material on the Grundgesetz, democracy, and extremism, used heavily in schools and integration courses. |