An impressive bus armada can be seen under the Bavaria, and a five-digit number of visitors: The two-hour demonstration by the Bavarian middle-class civil alliance “Hand in Hand for our Country” on Sunday on Munich’s Theresienwiese calls for better, less bureaucratic middle-class politics in Berlin. It is a gathering of the dissatisfied – “farmers, medium-sized businesses, pensioners, craftsmen, mothers,” as Markus Huber, one of the organizers, announced it. This time, “politics” can only listen, including the two Bavarian ministers present, Michaela Kaniber (CSU) and Hubert Aiwanger (FW).
The organizers had registered 35,000 to 50,000 participants. Even if it can be demonstrated well in the Munich sun: because of the train strike and the excellent skiing weather, not quite as many people followed the call for a demo. The police estimate “a peak of around 10,000 participants”, the organizers assume 20,000.
Loud cries of “lying press” echoed from the huge crowd when the two organizers – crane entrepreneur Markus Huber from Bad Feilnbach and farmer Franz Huber from near Straubing – announced that the television station “ntv” was reporting on this demo, but with a completely wrong classification: “Demo against the right – the middle class stands up” it says. This annoys the organizers: They repeatedly emphasize that they are neither left nor right – and that they are coming together because they criticize the current middle class policy. That’s the sole aim of the protest on Theresienwiese. None of the ten speakers want to be classified politically, they emphasize that they don’t belong to any party – and they put their demands in clearly Bavarian words.
Not the only poster calling for an end to the traffic light coalition.
(Photo: Leonhard Simon)
Numerous people followed the call for a demonstration, despite the rail strike and the beautiful weather.
(Photo: Tom Soyer)
A protest vehicle at the feet of the Bavaria.
(Photo: Tom Soyer)
Welcomed with applause and cleverly mentioned in the same breath so that no party preferences can be expressed: Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) and Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters). Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) sent a detailed letter and is not coming in person. This may be because everyone knew in advance that they would not have any speaking time on the Theresienwiese: “We are tired of the politicians’ usual election promises,” said organizer Markus Huber before the demo: “You are welcome to come, but This time it’s them who are listening.”
Bavaria’s Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger at the rally with farmers, freight forwarders, craftsmen, restaurateurs and others on the Theresienwiese. He was not present at the “demo against the right” last weekend.
(Photo: Leonhard Simon)
Some came to the rally with tractors, even more with coaches – after all, there is still a rail strike.
(Photo: Leonhard Simon)
They hear strong complaints about the tax burden being too high, about a strangling bureaucracy in all sectors and about a federal policy that hinders the diligently tax-paying middle class too much and sometimes also spends too much money on social benefits. The organizers ask that you do not show any “banned traffic light gallows posters,” but there are clear slogans on banners even without them. Small selection: “Green + Red is our death”, “Germany’s biggest shame: Scholz and his gang”, “Özdemir, I’m terrified of you”, “Stop following climate laws by people who fly around the world in private jets” , “Farmer seeks capable government”.
The meeting is an alliance of medium-sized businesses, farmers and various trades. Three speakers from different farmers’ associations (Farmers’ Association BBV, Agriculture Creates Connections LSV, Federal Association of German Dairy Farmers BDM) share the speaking time in rare harmony to point out the “flood of bureaucratic requirements”. Robert Habeck was “not even bad” as Agriculture Minister in Schleswig-Holstein, says Johannes Pfaller (BDM), but now as Federal Minister he is “completely overwhelmed”, like the rest of the government. Everything is over-regulated. “In India the cow is sacred – here it is a climate killer!” shouts Pfaller indignantly and considers this to be dangerous decadence: “If we think like that, we can close.”
Anton Steinbacher, a retired dentist, castigates “the catastrophe in the healthcare system” on the microphone. Here too, bureaucratization and poor administration are to blame for the fact that medical care in rural areas is getting worse and worse. “We are giving 20 million euros for cycle paths in Peru, and more and more clinics in rural areas are getting into trouble, so all you can do is hold your head.” As a pensioner, he also demands that the first 2,000 euros of the pension be tax-free and “an end to double taxation of pensions”. He is guaranteed applause from the crowd, as is master hairdresser Sofia-Marie Heis for her criticism of the federal government’s “anti-social, anti-family policy.” There is a lack of more than 70,000 childcare places for children under the age of three in Bavaria. “And not just since yesterday!”
Truck tolls and expensive refueling are also issues
Haulage contractor Thomas Dettendorfer from Nußdorf is targeting the truck toll as a burden and the expensive refueling with the CO₂ tax. The state has already earned seven billion euros from the truck toll, but “the roads are dilapidated”. That doesn’t work. “If the government manages to tax air, then it should dissolve the CO₂ tax into thin air again” and withdraw the truck toll. “I can only recommend those responsible to assert our interests in Berlin; otherwise we’ll do it ourselves!”
Munich’s head of the butchers’ guild, Andreas Gassner, is also calling for more freedom from prohibitions and bureaucracy. He even warns that bans would be circumvented through foreign imports. “It couldn’t be that the pork knuckle came from China! Prevent that!” And in the direction of Berlin he adds: “For me, anyone who only pursues a ban policy is not a democrat.”