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Merkel slams AfD leader’s ‘shameful’ comparison of Nazis with bird shit

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday condemned as "shameful" remarks by a leader of the far-righ Alternative for Germany (AfD) party likening the Nazi era to a "speck of bird shit" in the country's long history.

Published: 4 June 2018 14:51 CEST

Merkel slams AfD leader's 'shameful' comparison of Nazis with bird shit

Alexander Gauland. Photo: DPA

“It is shameful that we have to respond to such comments made by a member of the German Bundestag,” Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin.

“The government completely and unequivocally rejects any relativisation, any downplaying of the Nazi crimes,” Seibert said, describing Hitler's regime and the Holocaust as “a singular crime against humanity”.

It was only because Germans acknowledged their “everlasting responsibility” for the “immense suffering” caused, he added, that the country has been able to once again become a “good partner to other nations”.

Seibert was reacting to comments made at the weekend by AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland, who told members of the party's youth wing that there was more to the country's history than the 12 years of the Nazi regime.

“Hitler and the Nazis are just a speck of bird shit in over 1,000 years of successful German history,” Gauland said.

The comments unleashed a storm of criticsm in Germany, including from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier who accused Gauland of minimising the pain of the victims and seeking to sow new hatred.

“We must all stand against this,” Steinmeier said.

Merkel's spokesman said condemnation of Gauland's words was shared by “the government, the chancellor and fortunately the overwhelming majority of German people”.

Set up in 2013, the anti-Islam, anti-immigrant AfD has risen to become the country's largest opposition party after capitalising on anger over the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers since 2015.

It took nearly 13 percent of the vote in last year's election, winning its first seats in the national parliament where its lawmakers have changed the tone of debate.

Gauland has repeatedly stirred controversy with speeches attacking Islam and immigrants. He has also argued that Germany should be proud of its veterans of two world wars.

Member comments

Anonymous - 4 June 2018 at 20:54 CEST

When will the Communists apologize for the 100,000,000 they’ve killed in the last 100 years?

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Output is expected to expand 0.3 percent this year, the economy ministry said, up from a prediction of 0.2 percent in February.

The slightly rosier picture comes after improvements in key indicators — from factory output to business activity — boosted hopes a recovery may be getting under way.

The German economy shrank slightly last year, hit by soaring inflation, a manufacturing slowdown and weakness in trading partners, and has acted as a major drag on the 20-nation eurozone.

But releasing its latest projections, the economy ministry said in a statement there were growing indications of a “turning point”.

“Signs of an economic upturn have increased significantly, especially in recent weeks,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at a press conference.

The ministry also cut its forecast for inflation this year to 2.4 percent, from a previous prediction of 2.8 percent, and sees the figure falling below two percent next year.

“The fall in inflation will lead to consumer demand — people have more money in their wallets again, and will spend this money,” said Habeck.

“So purchasing power is increasing, real wages are rising and this will contribute to a domestic economic recovery.”

Energy prices — which surged after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — had also fallen and supply chain woes had eased, he added.

Several months ago there had been expectations of a strong rebound in 2024, with forecasts of growth above one percent, but these were dialled back at the start of the year as the economy continued to languish.

‘Germany has fallen behind’

But improving signs have fuelled hopes the lumbering economy — while not about to break into a sprint — may at least be getting back on its feet.

On Wednesday a closely-watched survey from the Ifo institute showed business sentiment rising for a third consecutive month in April, and more strongly than expected.

A key purchasing managers’ index survey this week showed that business activity in Germany had picked up.

And last week the central bank, the Bundesbank, forecast the economy would expand slightly in the first quarter, dodging a recession, after earlier predicting a contraction.

German Economics Minister Robert Habeck

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) presents the latest economic forecasts at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday, April 24th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler

Despite the economy’s improving prospects, growth of 0.3 percent is still slower than other developed economies and below past rates, and officials fret it is unlikely to pick up fast in the years ahead.

Habeck has repeatedly stressed solutions are needed for deep-rooted problems facing Germany, from an ageing population to labour shortages and a transition towards greener industries that is moving too slowly.

“Germany has fallen behind other countries in terms of competitiveness,” he said. “We still have a lot to do — we have to roll up our sleeves.”

Already facing turbulence from pandemic-related supply chain woes, the German economy’s problems deepened dramatically when Russia invaded Ukraine and slashed supplies of gas, hitting the country’s crucial manufacturers hard.

While the energy shock has faded, continued weakness in trading partners such as China, widespread strikes in recent months and higher eurozone interest rates have all prolonged the pain.

The European Central Bank has signalled it could start cutting borrowing costs in June, which would boost the eurozone.

But Habeck stressed that care was still needed as, despite the expectations of imminent easing, “tight monetary policy has not yet been lifted.”

In addition, disagreements in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party ruling coalition are hindering efforts to reignite growth, critics say.

This week the pro-business FDP party, a coalition partner, faced an angry backlash from Scholz’s SPD when it presented a 12-point plan for an “economic turnaround”, including deep cuts to state benefits.

Christian Lindner, the fiscally hawkish FDP finance minister, welcomed signs of “stabilisation” in the economic forecasts but stressed that projected medium-term growth was “too low to sustainably finance our state”.

“There are no arguments for postponing the economic turnaround,” he added.