Concerned citizens can contact the Advice Compass on Conspiracy Thinking , the Interior Ministry has said.
Germans who suspect that their relatives or friends have fallen for conspiracy theories can now seek official guidance, the Interior Ministry has announced. The government has launched a nationwide consultation center to combat “lies and disinformation.”
Known as the Advice Compass on Conspiracy Thinking, the service was launched on Thursday and is accessible online or by phone. According to the ministry, it aims to provide “the most tailored help and advice possible” for those seeking guidance.
The center offers consultations and can refer individuals to specialized agencies if necessary, according to Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus, without specifying which agencies will be involved.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that an “open dialogue on equal terms” is often difficult with individuals deeply immersed in conspiracy beliefs. She hailed the initiative as “an important building block in the holistic fight against extremism and disinformation.”
Paus described conspiracy theories as “poison for our democracy” and a burden on families and colleagues. The Interior Ministry claimed that these beliefs can lead to extremist ideologies and incite violence, highlighting anti-Semitic conspiracies as a major concern.
The German authorities have been raising the alarm over the supposed rise of conspiracy theories. This trend is often linked to the Querdenker (lateral thinking) movement, which emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic to oppose lockdown measures and other government policies. Since then, Querdenker groups have organized protests against Germany’s foreign policy and weapons supplies to Kiev, which began in 2022 following the escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Some factions have also called for “regionality, direct democracy, and limiting the power” of the federal government. Officials and media outlets often associate Querdenker groups with conspiracy theories and far-right organizations.
In 2021, the German domestic security agency (BfV) announced it would closely monitor some Querdenker groups, claiming that they could try to “delegitimize” the state and use legitimate protest to “provoke escalation.”
The announcement of the Advice Compass came just days after the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) secured second place in snap parliamentary elections, receiving 20.8% of the vote – a significant rise from the 10.4% they received in 2021. Despite the gains, the party remains ostracized by the other major political parties and is frequently labeled ‘far-right’ by officials and media.
NEW – Germany’s interior ministry and left-wing NGOs are launching an advice center for those who think a family member or friend has spread “conspiracy theories.” https://t.co/V5BItBn1LC pic.twitter.com/sxtq8B2dAg
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 27, 2025
Nice Ministry of Truth you have there Germany. Got to keep a lid on wrongthink aye. Better haul C.J Hopkins in again for indiscretions
Sounds like people who have conspiratory thinking relatives have no counter arguments. So, maybe just dobb them in for wrongthink. There’s a good boy!
Silly Germans. Just wait six months and all the conspiracy theories magically become true.
Joseph Goebbels would be proud.
Don’t stand for this tyranny germans. Don’t even let these traitors warm their seats.
Germany is now becoming what East Germany was under the CCCP before 1991.
JD Vance was absolutely correct to call out the EU leaders.
The reality is that many leaders get scared when we start to think for ourselves. We have been controlled by our own beliefs that political leaders will execute our will, doctors will help maintain our health and scientists will tell us what is out there (E.T.’s and so on). Most are now realizing that most political leaders are controlled assets of the “deep state” puppet masters, doctors are controlled assets of “big pharma” and scientists continue to lie to us that we are alone in the Universe.
To our leaders, a citizen that thinks for themself and does not believe an “expert” because they are pushed into the limelight as an “expert” is the scariest thing. I will relish the day when each citizen of Earth becomes an “expert” for themself.