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POLITICS

‘Silent majority’ marches against Germany’s far-right AfD

Revelations that members of the far-right AfD discussed mass deportation plans are pushing tens of thousands of Germans to protest in the streets and sparking debate on whether the anti-immigrant party should be banned.

People march against the AfD and extremism in Berlin on January 17th.
People march against the AfD and extremism in Berlin on January 17th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Carsten Koall

From Cologne to Leipzig to Nuremberg, Germans across the country have mobilised over the last week, with another 100 demonstrations expected through the weekend.

Many of the demonstrations are held under the banner “together against the far-right”, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also joining a spontaneous gathering in Potsdam, where they live.

Bundesliga coaches and church bishops have also issued calls warning against support for the AfD, with the manager of SC Freiburg Christian Streich saying that “anyone who does nothing now has learned nothing from school or history”.

The sudden and widespread mobilisation was sparked by a January 10 report by investigative outlet Correctiv which revealed that AfD members had discussed the expulsion of immigrants and “non-assimilated citizens” at a meeting with extremists.

Among the participants at the talks was Martin Sellner, a leader of Austria’s Identitarian Movement, which subscribes to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that claims there is a plot by non-white migrants to replace Europe’s “native” white population.

PODCAST: Germany’s citizenship law reaches crucial stage and could the AfD be banned?

News of the gathering sent shockwaves across Germany at a time when the AfD is soaring in opinion polls, just months ahead of three major regional elections in eastern Germany where their support is strongest.

The “scandalous meeting” revived “the fear of deportations of millions of citizens or non-citizens, a fear that is part of the criticised heritage of Nazism,” said Hajo Funke, a political analyst who specialises in the far-right.

demonstration berlin

A protester at a demonstration in Berlin holds up a sign reading that ‘The AfD is not an alternative.” Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Soeren Stache

The “silent majority must wake up and take a clear position against extremism in Germany,” urged domestic intelligence chief Thomas Haldenwang.

Thanking those who have come out in the last days to make their voices heard, Scholz wrote on X that the protests “are encouraging and show  that there are more of us democrats than those who want to divide us”.

‘Normalisation over’

The AfD was created in 2013 as an anti-euro outfit before seizing on anger over mass migration to Germany to garner enough votes to enter the Bundestag in 2017.

While support for the party eased subsequently, it has enjoyed a resurgence over the last year, feeding on frustration as Germany ails from soaring inflation and a weak economy.

Nationwide, it is polling at about 22 percent, behind the conservatives but well above Scholz’s social democrats at about 16 percent.

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In eastern Germany however, it is leading the polls, with more than 30 percent in the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg, which are all due to hold regional elections in September.

The AfD had planted itself firmly onto the political landscape since its entrance in the Bundestag but after the meeting unveiled by Correctiv, “this normalisation of the party is over,” said Funke.

The AfD confirmed the presence of its members at the meeting, but has denied taking on the “remigration” project championed by Sellner.

But the scandal showed “the real face” of the party, said Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of Scholz’s SPD.

Outright ban?

Voices calling for an outright ban of the party have also grown louder.

Even if it has few chances of succeeding, a petition demanding the removal of constitutional rights for Björn Höcke, one the AfD’s most controversial politicians, has already garnered a million signatures.

Several branches of the AfD are already under close surveillance of the domestic intelligence agency and in this context, “the state should look at a possible ban of the AfD,” said Wolfgang Thierse, a former speaker of parliament.

But others are sceptical about the effectiveness of launching such a long and complex procedure, as failure to win the ban risks further nourishing the AfD’s “victim narrative”.

But “if it’s proven that a party wants to transform the country into a fascist state, it must be banned, no matter how powerful it is,” said Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck in an interview with Stern magazine.

By Isabelle LE PAGE

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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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