German state security intimidates opposition
■ Last week, German police and security officials investigated a young man from the town of Griesheim because he was critical of the secret services’ surveillance methods and jokingly proposed taking a walk to look at a US military building. The case shows how the infrastructure of a police state has been created in Germany. ■ The fact that the information about the protest walk came from the American secret service or military police, also points to the close collaboration between the intelligence services and the police. Clearly, various domestic and international intelligence agencies pass on their largely illegally collected data to the police authorities, which take action against individuals. ■ Based on the experience of Hitler’s Gestapo—literally, Secret State Police—collaboration between the police and secret services was officially banned in post-war Germany. However, as a result of the so-called “war on terror,” the link has been fully re-established. The example of Daniel B. shows that there is no separation of powers in everyday practice. In this way, the infrastructure of a police state has been created in Germany.