Two of the six far-left extremists Antifa suspects involved in the brutal beating of a German television crew have been revealed as coming from a privileged middle-class background, originally from a well-off Swabian town.
The two suspects, 27-year-old Miriam S. and her 25-year-old brother Simon S., were arrested shortly after the attack on a camera crew of German broadcaster ZDF on May 1st in Berlin that sent four members of the crew to the hospital with various injuries suffered during the brutal assault.
The background of the pair has now been revealed by German newspaper Die Welt which reports that the two Antifa extremists originally come from the small wealthy town of Schwaigern near Heilbronn in the historic Swabia region, now divided between Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria.
According to the paper, both siblings have connections to far-left extremist groups and have expressed support for Antifa and migrant transport NGOs in the past.
The father of the pair, who did not find out about his children’s role in the assault until approached by the paper, said that his son works as a kickboxing coach and has supported migrant transport NGO “Sea-Watch” along with other pro-mass migration and left-wing extremist groups in the past.
His daughter Miriam has also expressed her support for far-left groups and causes including signing various petitions and leftist campaigns and both siblings are well-known among the local leftist scene.
The pair fit the profile of many far-left extremists in Germany and elsewhere across Europe who seldom come from working-class or more financially humble backgrounds. Antifa rioters arrested after the ultra-violent May 1st riots in Paris in 2018 were also revealed to have come from privileged upper-middle-class backgrounds as well.
A 2017 report from the Agency for the Protection of the Consitution (BfV), Germany’s domestic intelligence organisation, found that while many far-left extremists may come from wealthy backgrounds, nine in ten still live with their parents and just 16 per cent are female. Nine in ten are also said to not have any sort of romantic relationship.
Far-left violence and extremism continue to be a major problem despite the lockdowns put in place across Europe due to the Wuhan coronavirus, with French authorities believing Antifa extremists may be linked to a series of serious acts of sabotage of communications infrastructure in recent weeks.
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