The Fragile State (2020)

A recent wave of right-wing violence with a racist and anti-Semitic background has shaken the Federal Republic of Germany. The state promises to show strength to its enemies. The motto that the interior minister gives as reason of state is: zero tolerance towards right-wing radicals and right-wing extremists. But does he keep the promises of tough law enforcement? The answer to this is shamefully sobering. Right-wing extremist crimes are rarely pursued in Germany, and if so, only reluctantly. Investigative misconduct and questionable judgments are not uncommon. Right-wing extremists can hope for leniency from the German judiciary. The tendentious sympathies of the state apparatus on the enforcement level among the public prosecution department and the police come forward here. The information provided by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is insufficient. Many officially known right-wing extremists still have shotgun certificates. Racist right-wing music may be sold on despite the knowledge of the public prosecutor. Hounding people with a migration background in daylight is not uncommon, but as such does not appear in the police report and is covered up. This documentary shows people who feel abandoned by the state after experiencing right-wing violence and accompanies a lawyer in his fight for the victims of extreme right-wing violence, where he repeatedly comes up against limits.