Josef Schuster: Central Council of Jews worried about upswing for AfD

0

Germany Joseph Schuster

“Growing anti-Semitism” – Central Council of Jews worried about upswing for AfD

| Reading time: 3 minutes

Joseph Schuster

“I see a danger for our democracy as a whole”: Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews

Source: Marlene Gawrisch/WORLD/MARLENE GAWRISCH

In uncertain times, people sought refuge with “radical forces and in simplistic ideology,” says Josef Schuster. The President of the Central Council of Jews views the AfD’s upward trend with “great concern”.

Dhe President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, reacted with alarm to the electoral success of the AfD in Lower Saxony and the upswing for the party elsewhere. “I am very concerned about the renewed upward trend of the AfD, but also of other radical movements that are gaining ground due to the energy crisis,” Schuster told the editorial network Germany (RND).

“The current development is repeated proof that in uncertain times people seek refuge with radical forces and in simplistic ideology, as shown by the doubling of the AfD’s election results in Lower Saxony and the polling high of the Brandenburg AfD state association, which is known to be one of the most radical forces belongs within this party,” said Schuster.

When it comes to finding someone to blame for crises and problems, it is often Jews who have to serve as scapegoats, says Schuster. “I’m worried about growing anti-Semitism in winter, but I also see a danger to our society and democracy as a whole.”

also read

October 8th, 2022, Berlin: Kristin Brinker (AfD, 2nd from left-r), state chairwoman of the AfD Berlin, Tino Chrupalla, AfD federal chairman, and Beatrix von Storch, deputy federal spokeswoman for the AfD, take part in a demonstration of the AfD under the motto «Energy security and protection against inflation · our country first» in front of the Reichstag building. Photo: Christoph Soeder/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++

Protest against energy prices

In the state elections in Lower Saxony last Sunday, the AfD improved from 6.2 to 10.9 percent and, after several electoral defeats in a row, was able to make significant gains again for the first time against the background of the current energy crisis.

In Brandenburg, the AfD is ahead of the ruling SPD for the first time since the 2019 state elections. According to the Brandenburg trend of the Insa institute for “Bild” on Tuesday, the AfD currently has 25 percent of the Sunday question, overtaking the SPD with 22 percent.

After posing at the Holocaust memorial: AfD politician resigns from office

Meanwhile, there were consequences in Thuringia after AfD politician Holger Winterstein drew sharp criticism with a pose on the Holocaust memorial in Berlin. He resigned as deputy chairman of the AfD’s Sonneberg regional association, as Torben Braga, deputy spokesman for the AfD’s Thuringia regional association, confirmed on Wednesday. The MDR had previously reported on the resignation.

Winterstein climbed the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe on the sidelines of a large AfD demonstration in Berlin at the weekend and had himself photographed with his arms outstretched. He posted the picture on his Facebook page, but later deleted it.

Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor commented on Winterstein’s behavior on Twitter, saying: “Mr. Winterstein, everyone is watching you dance while you bring shame on yourself and your party.”

Here you will find content from Twitter

In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is required, since the providers of the embedded content as third-party providers require this consent [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (which can be revoked at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can withdraw your consent at any time via the switch and via privacy at the bottom of the page.

The Executive Vice President of International Auschwitz Committee Christoph Heubner called Winterstein’s behavior “disgusting”. He insults survivors of the Holocaust and mocks their murdered relatives.

The federal executive board of the AfD also condemned Winterstein’s “extremely disrespectful behavior” in a statement.

Thuringia’s Minister of the Interior Georg Maier (SPD) declared that Winterstein’s behavior was “intolerable” and announced that the criminal relevance of the incident would be examined.


source site