Germany announces strategies to address rising far-right movement.

The German government has unveiled a set of legal measures to combat right-wing extremism following a wave of mass demonstrations against the far-right across the country. The protests, which saw hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life take to the streets in January, were described by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser as an "encouragement and a mandate" to take political action. The move comes in the wake of revelations that senior members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and neo-Nazi influencers attended a secret meeting allegedly discussing mass deportations. Faeser presented the 13-point plan, which aims to break up right-wing extremist networks, cut their funding, and disarm them. The proposals include new laws that make it easier to freeze bank accounts and sever funding models for extremists. Additionally, officials will be able to more easily ban right-wing extremist events and prevent far-right activists from entering or leaving Germany. The plan also includes measures to tighten gun control and make it easier to dismiss state employees found guilty of extremism. Although some of these proposals were previously blocked by liberal coalition partners, Faeser hopes they will face less opposition now due to the public outcry against right-wing extremism. The interior ministry estimates that around 20,000 far-right crimes and attacks occur annually, with the number increasing. German intelligence services report that more than 38,000 people in Germany are known to be right-wing extremists, with about 14,000 categorized as potentially violent. Meanwhile, the AfD party continues to perform well in polls, despite the ongoing protests. As demonstrations against the far-right persist, the government's response will be tested in the upcoming regional elections in Saxony, along with two other eastern German states, set to take place in September. According to current polls, the AfD is predicted to win the most votes in each state. Anti-racism activists welcome the government's tougher stance against the far-right but express concerns that it may be too late to stem its rise.