For democracy, against extremism: district receives 150,000 euros from the state
Interior Minister Roman Poseck visited the town of Korbach in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg today. There, he presented District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst with a grant of 150,000 euros. This funding will continue to support the DEXT centre in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg for the period 2026 to 2028. The DEXT centre was established in 2020 and has received almost 277,000 euros in funding from the state of Hesse to date.
In his speech at the handover ceremony, Minister of the Interior Roman Poseck said: "The DEXT centres make a key contribution to promoting democracy and preventing extremism in Hesse. They promote democracy locally and help to counter extremist endeavours that threaten fundamental democratic values. The prevention work offers citizens low-threshold, locally anchored contact points and thus also creates trust in state structures.
By handing over the notification today, we are once again sending out a clear signal: Democracy work and the prevention of extremism are an important focus here in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg. As part of the prevention project "Strong for Democracy - Preventing Extremism in Waldeck-Frankenberg", the DEXT centre has been doing remarkably reliable and competent work since it was established in 2020. It advises, networks and supports people and institutions who stand up for respectful and open-minded coexistence on a daily basis. The funding strengthens this work in the long term. It makes it possible to recognise extremist challenges at an early stage, provide professional support to local initiatives and implement effective prevention projects together with schools, associations and local authorities. In addition, the DEXT specialist centres are in regular and close contact with the relevant regional security authorities. A contact person is appointed at each police headquarters.
The 30 DEXT centres across Hesse currently represent a long-term investment in the security of our state. Even in times of tight budgets, we are not cutting back on the promotion of democracy and the prevention of extremism, thereby emphasising the importance of this for the state government. I am pleased that we can continue to support this important contribution to strengthening our democratic cohesion in the future. Especially in times of increasing radicalisation on the extreme political fringes, democrats must stand together and pull in the same direction. I would like to thank all the players and institutions involved, who are committed to our democracy and peaceful coexistence on a daily basis, and wish them all continued success in their work here on the ground."
District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst concluded: "The DEXT centres are a central foundation for strengthening our democracy - and therefore for protecting our free society from extremist tendencies. The promotion of democratic values is a task for society as a whole that can only succeed if state institutions, politics and civil society assume joint responsibility. Diversity, integration and the participation of all citizens are key to creating cohesion and dealing with conflicts constructively. The DEXT Waldeck-Frankenberg office makes an indispensable contribution to this: it imparts knowledge, offers advice and promotes local networks that strengthen our democratic culture. We are therefore very grateful for the support of the state of Hesse in this area."
State programme "Hessen - active for democracy and against extremism"
In 2015, the Hessian state government established the state programme "Hessen - active for democracy and against extremism". The third funding period began on 1 July 2025. Over 100 projects and measures in the areas of democracy promotion, political education, anti-Semitism prevention and counselling services for right-wing extremism, left-wing extremism and Islamism will be funded until the end of 2029. In 2025, around 11 million euros, 8.8 million euros in state funds and 2.2 million euros in forwarded federal funds, will be available for this purpose. The DEXT centres are generally funded with up to 50,000 euros per year. The DEXT centres are supported in their work by the Hessian Information and Competence Centre against Extremism (HKE) and an advisory board made up of government and civil society bodies. A regular and close exchange between the DEXT centres and the responsible regional security authorities is guaranteed.
Partnerships for democracy
The partnerships for democracy are funded by the federal programme "Living Democracy" and co-financed with up to 12,000 euros from the state of Hesse. The district of Waldeck-Frankenberg also has such a partnership for democracy: the Network for Tolerance for Waldeck-Frankenberg, which is receiving 12,000 euros from the state programme this year. These projects work together with the DEXT specialist centres in a needs-oriented and efficient manner.
Caption (from left to right): The district of Waldeck-Frankenberg receives 150,000 euros from the state programme "Hessen - active for democracy and against extremism": The Hessian Minister of the Interior, Prof. Dr. Roman Poseck, was a guest today in the district house of the district town of Korbach and personally handed over the grant to the local DEXT coordinator Kea Sarah Brahms, the deputy head of the village and regional development department at the district Theresia Schneider and District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst.
Keywords:
Preventing extremism Specialist service for village and regional development