Mareike Haass | The culture of remembrance, right-wing extremism and the responsibility of the police

As the central agent of state authority, the police bear a particular responsibility for fostering public trust in the rule of law and, consequently, for democratic resilience. The historical basis of this responsibility, the ways in which right-wing extremism manifests itself within the police force, and the strategic approaches available to counter it will be the focus of this evening’s event with Dr Haydée Mareike Haass.

Dr Haass edited the anthology *Right-wing Extremism as a Challenge for the Police and Society* ( Nomos-Verlag), published in 2026, and will draw on its key themes in her presentation. She will focus on the significance of the culture of remembrance for police history, the analysis of far-right tendencies within the police force, and strategic considerations regarding prevention and the sustainable embedding of democratic values within the police service. This concerns not only the initial and continuing training of police officers, but also the question of how spaces for reflection, exchange and engagement with different perspectives can be created within the police force.

Jacob Liedtke, project manager of ‘Nichts ist Vergangenheit’ (a collaborative project between the FBF and the New Israel Fund Deutschland e.V.), will welcome the guests and, following the presentation, lead a discussion with Dr Haass. Ample time has been set aside for a discussion with the audience.

The event is taking place as part of the “Nichts ist Vergangenheit” (NIV) project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth under the federal programme “Demokratie leben!”.

Dr Haydée Mareike Haass studied history, political science and economics with a view to becoming a teacher, as well as sociology and history at Master’s level at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. With the support of a scholarship from the a.r.t.e.s. Excellence Initiative, she completed her PhD at the University of Cologne on the crime series *Der Kommissar* and *Derrick* and their screenwriter Herbert Reinecker, who had Nazi ties. From 2020 to 2023, she was a research fellow at the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich. From 2024 to mid-2025, she held the visiting professorship in Police History and Political Education at the German Police University (DHPol) in Münster, where she also serves as the Anti-Semitism Officer and project leader of the DISKURS collaboration project. She has been a member of the project advisory board for the NIV project since August 2025.

An event organised by the Fritz Bauer Forum.