extremism
Habeck: AfD is about “attacking the essence of the republic”
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck warns against the AfD. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
How to deal with the AfD? This question concerns German politics more than ever. Vice Chancellor Habeck finds clear words.
A week after news of a meeting of right-wing politicians and activists in Potsdam broke out, the debate about how to deal with the AfD not off. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck warned urgently against the right-wing party.
“The right-wing authoritarians are concerned with an attack on the essence of the republic,” the Green politician told the magazine “Stern”. “They want to turn Germany into a state like Russia.” They prepared systematically for this.
The SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil told the editorial network Germany: “All sensible people who have been quiet so far must now also become loud.” Green parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge told the RND: “It is now up to all of us – in our personal environment, at work, when doing sports, when shopping – to make it clear together that the AfD is voting for right-wing extremists who pose a threat to democracy.”
Correctiv presents research
Last week, the media company Correctiv reported on the previously unknown meeting between right-wing extremists and politicians from the AfD and CDU in a Potsdam villa on November 25th. The former head of the right-wing extremist Identitarian movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, said he spoke about “remigration” there. When right-wing extremists use the term, they usually mean that large numbers of people of foreign origin should leave the country – even under duress.
Today Correctiv wants to present its research in the Berliner Ensemble. Some new details will also become known during the staged reading.
Demonstrations against right-wing extremism
In recent days, tens of thousands have taken to the streets in various German cities against right-wing extremism. On Tuesday evening, tens of thousands demonstrated against the AfD in Cologne.
Dröge described such demonstrations as encouraging. “These people show that a loud minority on the right cannot rely on the democratic majority to remain silent.” Klingbeil emphasized: “We will not allow our country to be divided again into “them” and “us”. We will not allow the right-wing radicals to decide who is German and who is not.” The AfD wants to throw people out of the country who are an integral part of the country.
Debate about AfD ban
As a result of the Correctiv research, the debate about a possible AfD ban picked up speed again. Habeck told “Stern” when asked whether he was for or against a ban on the AfD: “It’s not a question of political attitude, but of law.” Only the Federal Constitutional Court decides on a ban. The hurdles are rightly very high and the damage caused by a failed procedure would be massive. “So everything would have to be absolutely legal. You have to think about that very carefully.” Either way, the democratic parties would have to beat the AfD politically.
In addition to a possible application for a ban, an application to deprive prominent constitutional enemies of the basic rights is now being discussed. By late Tuesday evening, a signature collection aimed specifically at the Thuringian AfD party and parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke had recorded more than 1.1 million signatures. The Thuringian AfD regional association is classified as right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Juso boss Philipp Türmer spoke out in favor of using this remedy against Höcke. According to the Federal Constitutional Court Act, one can also forfeit the right to vote and to stand for election, Türmer told the “Tagesspiegel”. “The Nazi Björn Höcke has been actively applying for years to have these paragraphs applied to him.”
Petition submitted
Legal scholar Ulrich Battis told RTL/ntv: “It is plausible that such proceedings will be initiated against him (Höcke) because he has exposed himself in a special way that we have not had before in Germany in the last 40 years. ” Battis emphasized: “At the moment we have a situation that we have never had before. Therefore, the probability that such a procedure will be successful is greater than I would have ever assessed in the past.”
As the “Rheinische Post” reported, a petition has now been submitted to the Bundestag’s petitions committee that calls for Höcke’s basic rights to be withdrawn. However, it still needs to be checked before it is published, committee chairwoman Martina Stamm-Fibich (SPD) told the newspaper. If there are 50,000 or more supporters, the Petitions Committee must deal with a public petition and give it the opportunity to be heard.
The left made another demand. She advocates first targeting the youth organization Junge Alternative. “A first step would be a ban on the AfD’s youth organization,” said deputy party leader Katina Schubert to the German Press Agency. “A ban on JA would be much easier and quicker because it is not protected by party status. A ban would be possible here through a simple ministerial decree.”