The current energy crisis and inflation could lead to protests in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia, the region’s interior minister has warned. Herbert Reul added that these issues are being exploited by conspiracy theorists, whom he described as a threat to the German state.
Appearing on n-tv’s Fruhstart program on Monday, Reul said that “we’re now no longer talking about protesters, but rather almost something like new enemies of the state, who are establishing themselves there.”
The official expressed concern that, when things like the “energy crisis, prices, a cold living room” become “really tangible,” conspiracy theorists’ narratives could gain more currency among the population.
According to North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, the Covid pandemic and the lockdowns associated with it have ceased to be a topic peddled by those he branded conspiracy theorists, now that the authorities have lifted the restrictive measures. However, “they are now abusing people’s fears in other fields,” Reul warned, adding that the issue is “nothing to sneeze at.”