They don’t want to become anything anymore, but despite this, or rather precisely because of this, five Nuremberg political retirees have come together to save democracy. Of course, that’s a bit shortened, but they “want to make a contribution so that the commitment to democracy is consolidated,” is how Renate Schmidt (SPD), the initiator and former Federal Minister for Family Affairs, puts it. That’s why she founded the “Zammrüggn” initiative together with the former State Minister Günter Gloser (SPD), the former state parliament member Hermann Imhof (CSU), the former Green city council leader Brigitte Wellhöfer and Wolf Maser from the FDP.
Zammrüggn is Franconian for coming together, they borrowed the term from cabaret artist Bernd Regenauer. However, the occasion is not a cheerful one, because “certain extremist positions have been allowed to grow almost like a sleepwalker,” says Gloser. And if surveys then show that a large part of society believes that there is no freedom of expression in Germany, “then you can’t sit still even as a pensioner.”
So the five of them founded an association, because without such formalities things get complicated when it comes to collecting signatures, for example. That’s exactly what they plan to do, 100,000 should come together by the end of the year. The people of Nuremberg should stand up for democracy.
The call says this: “Democrats do not tolerate discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability or age. We do not tolerate anti-Semitism or calls for hatred and violence. We stand for one cosmopolitan, tolerant and solidarity-based society, and reject any cooperation with parties and organizations that do not respect these values.”
CSU man Imhof blames his party leader Söder – not the only criticism of him
The AfD is not explicitly mentioned, but it can feel addressed. But the initiators also see deficits in the tone of politicians from their own ranks. It’s not about pouring a “harmony sauce” over everything, says Gloser, but the struggle for positions is of course part of democracy. But also the ability to compromise.
And a proper tone. It is not appropriate to compare a politician with Margot Honecker, says Hermann Imhof, alluding to his party colleague Prime Minister Markus Söder, who did just that with Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) on political Ash Wednesday. Söder could feel addressed several times on Thursday, even if he is not explicitly named. Of course, he was also invited to sign the call, says Renate Schmidt; the first was Nuremberg’s mayor Marcus König (CSU).
It will officially start on April 19th, when posters and buttons will be available and there will also be an online presence at www.zammrueggn.de. Clubs, churches, companies and organizations want to get the five to take part. The posters in different colors could be used by the democratic parties alongside their own in the European election campaign, for example. Schmidt sees the unique selling point of her initiative, alongside others who are committed to democracy, in its non-partisan nature. And in the low threshold. If she has her way, Nuremberg’s democrats will soon recognize each other by the Zammrüggn button.