Germany to step up crackdown on left-wing militancy after Berlin blackout

Germany will intensify efforts to combat left-wing extremism following an attack on a power station in January that triggered Berlin’s longest electricity blackout since World War Two, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on January 27.

Activists have claimed responsibility for the attack, which is suspected to have been carried out by a far-left organisation known as the Volcano group. The incident left around 45,000 households without power in freezing temperatures, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

“Our security agencies will be significantly reinforced in the fight against left-wing extremism,” Dobrindt said.

He announced that authorities are offering a reward of 1 million euros for information leading to the identification of those responsible for the attack.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency will allocate additional staff to tackle left-wing militancy, Dobrindt said, adding that the government is preparing new legislation to expand the digital investigative powers of security authorities. The proposed measures would include automated data analysis, biometric facial recognition and the storage of IP addresses.

According to the agency’s latest report, left-wing motivated crime rose by 38% in 2024, although the number of violent crimes linked to leftist groups fell by 27%.

Dobrindt said the stepped-up measures, along with a planned law aimed at protecting critical infrastructure, would not weaken efforts against other forms of extremism.

“We have had a lot of success with a right-wing extremism, Islamist terrorism .. But the focus has not been sufficiently on left-wing extremism and we see left-wing terrorism ... is making a strong comeback,” he said.

By Sabina Mammadli