The questions of what the Bonn teacher is accused of, whether he has already been heard and whether he is currently on duty, were left unanswered by the ministry, as were questions about the type of school and the district in which the teacher works. The publication of detailed information on the disciplinary measures taken is not possible and inadmissible due to legal regulations, according to the ministry. A spokesperson also said that the Cologne district government, as the school supervisory authority, does not want to comment on the matter at the moment because of the ongoing proceedings.

According to the Ministry of Education, the reported cases of suspected right-wing extremism as well as racist or anti-Semitic statements are "in part" also relevant under criminal law. In principle, the responsible school supervisory authorities intervene immediately when suspicions are reported and - depending on the assessment in the individual case - disciplinary proceedings are initiated. "The assessment of a disciplinary measure depends on the circumstances of the individual case and can lead up to a disciplinary action for removal from service," a ministry spokesperson explained.

How many disciplinary proceedings have been initiated in the past five years in North Rhine-Westphalia on suspicion of extremism and what the outcome was is not statistically recorded. Furthermore, the ministry stated: "So far, we are basically aware of suspicious cases in the area of the so-called Reich citizenship movement. Not all of the suspicious cases have been confirmed so far. In the confirmed cases, the necessary consequences under civil service law have been drawn. The persons are no longer in active teaching service. There are currently no known affiliations of teachers to other extremist associations - irrespective of political or religious extremism".

Original text: Rüdiger Franz. Translation: Mareike Graepel