The prerequisite was that these could be attributed to the coronavirus protest movement. While there were still around 40 channels in this network in March 2020, there were already almost 300 in September 2023. Opponents of the coronavirus measures were active in the protest movement, as were right-wing extremists, "alternative media", channels in the fields of esotericism and spirituality, party politics and conspiracy milieus. They frequently shared posts from "alternative media" such as Info-Direkt, Auf1 and Report24, as well as far-right channels such as that of former Identitarian leader Martin Sellner or demo organizer Martin Rutter.

The idea of the global elite
According to the Federal Office for Sectarian Affairs, crises in this movement are often explained with conspiracy theories. People are made to feel afraid. One idea, for example, is the global elite, which wants to harm people and possibly even abolish or enslave humanity. The media and politicians are in cahoots with them. According to this idea, the elite creates crises such as the pandemic or climate change in order to implement totalitarian measures.

Contents of various
Conspiracy theory and extremist content is reaching many more people today than in the past, said Ulrike Schiesser, Managing Director of the Federal Agency. Compared to January 2022, however, the coronavirus channels are currently being accessed less frequently. The topics have also become more diverse. For example, users are now also posting about the war in Ukraine - usually with a pro-Russia stance -, asylum and migration, climate change and LGBTQIA people.

According to the study, users often rant against minorities as well as mass media and political institutions. The main beneficiaries were "alternative media", which were largely able to maintain their reach. The movement is currently struggling to remain relevant, it says.

Further observations
According to study author Felix Lippe, right-wing extremists and opponents of the coronavirus measures have mainly ended up on Telegram because they have been blocked on other social media. On Telegram, content is not systematically deleted and channels are not systematically blocked.

In future, a system is to be set up to monitor developments relating to conspiracy theories in the digital space. Schiesser also recommends media literacy, which should not be limited to schools, as people aged 40 and over are often on Telegram.