German Domestic Security Chief Ousted Over Remarks About Unrest In Chemnitz - Statement

Rukhshan Mir (@rukhshanmir) Published September 18, 2018 | 10:03 PM

Head of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Hans-Georg Maassen was ousted from his office over remarks about the situation in the city of Chemnitz, which was hit by far-right protests, the German government's press service said on Tuesday in a statement.

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2018) Head of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Hans-Georg Maassen was ousted from his office over remarks about the situation in the city of Chemnitz, which was hit by far-right protests, the German government's press service said on Tuesday in a statement.

Germany's spy chief has recently been facing pressure and calls to resign from opposition politicians, who have suggested he was supportive of right-wing views. The scandal erupted after Maassen said he had reservations about the authenticity of videos showing far-right violence amid the recent anti-migration protests in Chemnitz.

"After the negotiations between Chancellor and CDU [Christian Democratic Union] head Angela Merkel, Interior Minister and CSU [Christian Social Union] Horst Seehofer as well as head of the SPD [Social Democratic Party] parliamentary group, SPD chair Andrea Nahles, we say that the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution will be replaced.

Mr. Maassen will become state secretary of the German Interior Ministry," the statement said.

Chemnitz has seen a wave of mass anti-immigrant rallies and protests in recent weeks, with thousands of people, including far-right radicals, taking to the streets. The rallies were sparked by the murder of a German citizen on August 26, allegedly at the hands of two migrants from Iraq and Syria, who have since been arrested. One of the detainees has been released earlier in the day.