Just two weeks before carrying out his attack, the Islamist terrorist from the Tiergarten neighborhood of Berlin, Abdul Ballout, had been in contact with Thomas Mücke, the managing director of the deradicalisation organisation “Violence Prevention Network”. NIUS investigations now reveal that the man who was supposed to “deradicalise” Abdul Ballout is part of the NGO network.
Last Saturday, the Islamist terrorist Abdul Ballout rammed his car into a crowd at Christopher Street Day in Berlin. One woman was killed and 29 other people were injured. The following evening, the police located the perpetrator and shot him dead. Shortly afterwards, it emerged that the attacker had held meetings with Thomas Mücke regarding “deradicalisation” just two weeks before his attack.
That is, the man whose deradicalisation NGO, the ‘Violence Prevention Network’, according to NIUS’s investigations, not only received almost 70 million in taxpayers’ money between 2014 and 2024, but who is also on the board of another NGO: ‘Gangway e. V.’. A street social work organisation designed to help teenagers and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with their problems. However, the organisation does not just help young people; it also engages in left-wing propaganda.
The 2023 annual report of “Gangway e.V.” refers to so-called “girls’ work”, which involves various services for girls and young women. The aim of these services is: “To address gender-specific issues and provide safe spaces for reflecting on and breaking free from gender roles”.
The leaflet shows four young women wearing headscarves, a symbol of Islamic patriarchy. They are holding large lasertag guns. The fact that Thomas Mücke is the managing director of a deradicalisation NGO seems almost cynical when you look at these images.
Unfortunately, however, it wasn’t just these images. Ahead of the 2023 Berlin House of Representatives election, the association’s Wedding branch published a poster in the style of the AfD’s ‘Germany. But normal.’ campaign – albeit with the slogan: ‘Germany, but halal.’ In Islam, the Arabic word ‘halal’ means ‘permitted’ or ‘pure’.
The demand that Germany should conform to Islamic standards is shocking – particularly given that Thomas Mücke, who is also tasked with deradicalising Islamists, is a board member of ‘Gangway’.
The Gangway local group in Wedding posted a message to mark the 2023 Berlin parliamentary elections which also demonstrates just how ideologically driven the NGO’s work is. The social media post states that “the potato does not belong in Germany”.
The Neukölln branch of ‘Gangway’ also attracts attention with its posts. In a post from 2023, the group showcases a graffiti event involving young people. What can be seen there, amongst other things? Spray-painted Palestinian flags.
This seems downright absurd given that the Middle East conflict, in particular, holds enormous potential for radicalisation among many young people.
Palestinian and anti-Semitic propaganda make young people particularly susceptible to radical ideas – that is the view of one organisation, the ‘Violence Prevention Network’, led by Thomas Mücke. However, the other organisation of which he is a board member, ‘Gangway’, appears to be fuelling precisely this problem.