Germany's new whistleblower law 'risks going back to the Stasi era'

Hubertus Knabe was director of the Hohenschoenhausen memorial on the site of the Stasi political prison until 2018. Photo: Julian Simmonds for the Telegraph

Germany is quietly building a «massive surveillance apparatus» that risks creating a culture of denunciation similar to that of the Nazis and the Stasi, one of the country's leading historians has said.

«Unbeknownst to the public,» Berlin is building a sprawling system of «information points» within companies and government agencies to help people denounce their colleagues, warned historian Hubertus Knabe.

German whistleblower. Protection Act went into effect in July with the stated goal of protecting people who report workplace abuse.

All companies with more than 49 employees are now required to set up an office where employees can anonymously report suspected violations of the law without fear of retribution.

But according to the man who ran the Hohenschoenhausen memorial, the Stasi political prison in Berlin for nearly two decades, the law has more far-reaching implications than mere whistleblower protection.

dealing with offenses that carry fines,” Knabe wrote in an article for the German newspaper Die Welt this week.

“They will be held accountable even for statements by officials that “constitute a violation of the obligation of loyalty to the constitution,” he added.

“Atmosphere of fear”,

warning that “this is just a small step from tipping to denunciation ”, Mr. Knabe pointed to the example of Nazi Germany, where the Germans furiously denounced their neighbors, often “for personal gain or revenge.”

In the worst case, these -off clues will lead to “an atmosphere of fear similar to what happens under a dictatorship,” he said.

Mr. Knabe may have a dog in wrestling with the question of how arbitrary the state can be in penalizing senior executives for reporting workplace abuses.

In 2018, Berlin City Hall sparked controversy about his dismissal. as head of the Hohenschoenhausen Memorial in connection with accusations that he did not fight against sexism in the workplace.

He complained that he was fired without warning and without the opportunity to give his version of events.

< p>Political observers and constitutional experts have become increasingly frustrated in recent years with the proliferation of so-called «denunciation centers» that are often set up on the Internet.

«Antifeminist Information Portal»

Particularly annoying to conservatives is the «antifeminist warning portal» run by Foundation Amadeu Antonio, an anti-discrimination non-governmental organization funded by the federal government.

The organization's website encourages people to report fellow citizens distributing leaflets. criticize «gender theory» or try to disrupt feminist events.

Environmental group Greenpeace set up a similar portal earlier this year where members of the public can report cafes that don't use reusable coffee cups.

Any tip resulted in a notification being sent to local authorities.

A similar tactic is being used in education by the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

>In 2018 In 1999, a website was created that asked people to report teachers who «violated their obligation to remain neutral.»