Head of Germany's BfV Hans-Georg Maassen has been dismissed from his position and will be moved to a new post within the ministry, the German chancellor's office announced Tuesday. The decision to fire the politician was taken after the three-way talks between Angela Merkel and heads of governing coalition parties.
"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.
The announcement confirms yesterday's publication by Die Welt, which reported on the upcoming dismissal.
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Many politicians from opposition parties, and even within the ruling coalition, have slammed Maassen and demanded his resignation, recalling his alleged ties to the right-wing AfD party, which is known for its harsh stance on immigration.
The German city of Chemnitz was recently rocked by anti-immigrant protests after a local carpenter was allegedly stabbed to death by migrants from Syria and Iraq after a conflict at a music festival. The protests, led by right-wing activists, lasted several weeks. Several German media outlets reported having witnessed some of the protesters making Hitler salutes, as well as chasing and harassing foreign-looking residents of Chemnitz.
