https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/13/afd-party-ban-germany-far-right-extremists/
Over in Germany, according to reports this week, they are debating (i.e. polishing the jackboots ad buffing up the swastika badges,) the issue of whether to ban the 'far-Right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as the party surges to 21 per cent in the polls, amid warnings from intelligence officials that its members are becoming increasingly extreme. In fact AfD is a rather moderate party, only veering to the right of centre on immigration and EU membership
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, warned in a speech to the country’s domestic intelligence agency that “we all have it in our hands to put those who despise our democracy in their place”.
Steinmeier, who is so far left he is somewhat to the right of Atila the Hun, made his speech at the castle where the German post-war constitution was created has widely been seen as support for a ban after Thomas Haldenwang, the domestic spy chief, warned about growing Right-wing extremist influence in the party. In politicospeak this means the AfD's centreist position is starting to look like a threat to the globalist authoritarian establishment which has ruled through the SDP and CDU, two parties that while nominally of the left and right are in practice identical..
Mr Haldenwang said: “We see a considerable number of protagonists in this party that spread hate against all types of minorities here in Germany.”
Reports of a move to ban the AfD come amid warnings of the increasing influence in the party of Björn Höcke, AfD leader in the eastern state of Thuringia.
Mr Höcke, a former history teacher, has been accused of using Hitler-esque rhetoric – although his critics have not provided a definition of what actually constitutes 'Hitleresque' but with Hocke's allies sweeping the board for European lists at the party’s conference in Magdeburg in August, leaders of the CDU and SDP, the parties that have most to fear from the AfD resurgence would probably tell you "Hitleresque is whatever we say it is."
In
a rare move, the respected Der Spiegel news magazine weighed into the
debate with a leader titled: “Ban the enemies of the constitution!” This headline is indicative of the level of scaremongering the establishment are willing to use to stop AfD and by extension the level of fear the upstart p[arty inspires in the establishment.
Spiegel warned that “the AfD has become more and more radicalised. It’s time to defend democracy with better weapons”.
The co-leader of Olaf Scholz’s ruling Social Democrats also said a ban should be considered if the AfD is categorised as a group of “proven Right-wing extremists” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
It is a pity that the people branding AfD as 'fascist', 'fr - right' and 'a threat to democracy do not provide examples of the Party’s policies and beliefs that are considered to be “far right”. In the UK anybody who speaks of wanting to protect borders, believing that there are only 2 sexes, wanting to keep more of our hard earned money and believing in preserving British culture, values and sovereignty are all considered “far right” and the policies propounded by AfD for Germany and smeared by establishment parties are broadly similar.
In fact there is nothing unconstitutional about any of the AfD's policies, even their immigration policy, which is committed to ending the 'open doors' approach to border controls favoured by the E U and former Chancellor Merkel is not contrary to the German consitution, but is highly popular with German voters tired of seeing their cities and towns overwhelmed by oversexed, under - educated young males recently arrived without passports or any form of identification from assorted third world shitholes. Germany's immigration crisis started when the US / NATO / EU sponsored ISIS insurgency destabilised Syria sent hoardes of fit young men running for Europe.Those Syrians have now been joined by multitudes more from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Africa (North and Sub Saharan,) Albania and varios east European nations.
One has to stop here and ask what did Hausfrau Volksfuhrer Merkel expect would be the fallout after she INVITED a million Syrians in FFS!!! Non-EU immigration, yes you know the ones, is destroying Europe, and the locals are finally waking up to the knowledge that they are effectively being replaced by people with no Connection with the nations and cultures they are arriving in, and with completely different values to Western societies and an often hostile attitude to the laws, customs and traditions of their host society, particlarly with regard to the behaviour of women in public.
Although I have never lived or worked in Germany and therefore have no first hand experience of German politics I confidently predict that banning the AfD would not solve the problem of non - integrating immigrants who demand their own laws be applied. A sensible politician (so not many of these) would ask why do over 20% of voters support a party which has been the target of a vicious propaganda campaign to discredit it and brand it fascist, neo - Nazi, far - right, and undemocratic, and thus, what’s most likely to increase or reduce that support. **** Continuing to ignore the concerns of its growing number of supporters while condemning scapegoating and discriminating against these voters as they have for 25 years has grown support to over 20% maybe it’s time for mainstream parties to actually deal with some of their real and heartfelt concerns rather than looking at fixing the political system to disenfranchise them.
Far be it from me to tell the German nation how to conduct their affairs but, if my admittedly untutored knowledge of history is correct, I seem to recall that Mr H was successful in politics because he capitalised on some very real problems the German people faced. That is not to deny they were not responsible for their own subsequent behaviour, but I think we have all been pretty shocked at how quickly and easily large proportions of many nations and their engines of authority, including our own, succumb to unscrupulous tactics which capitalise on understandable fears.
Perhaps, rather than assuming people on the right of the voting spectrum despise democracy, Mr Steinmeier might reflect that some of us, in the UK and surely also in Germany, are deeply concerned at the cavalier attitude towards it that our governments have displayed recently. He might turn his attention to why it is that the "far right" AfD appear to be gaining ground in the political field? Is he accusing his fellow countrymen of a lack of decency and discernment, or is it something to do with the way Brussels and the German government treat the people and some other governments of Europe? This is how thoughts that oppose the mainstream groupthink will be crushed by the elites; if the people use democracy to seek to overthrow the establishment, ban the instruments of opposition. AfD in Germany, Trump in US, Boris and Farage in The UK - see a pattern anyone?? The Dutch Farmers Party will be next to be called “Extremists” and so threatened with a ban. After all, if everyone who opposes net zero, or open borders is described as an Extremist, then they can all be banned “for the greater good” as the Germans would no doubt describe it….but then what? If popular resentment has no democratic expression, it is inevitable that there will be Revolution. These elites should learn from history….. Under Biden's FBI parents concerned about their schools giving their children LGBTQ+ pornographic cartoons illustrating a very young boy receiving oral sex are deemed far right domestic terrorists.
In what way is the Afd a fascist party? Do you know what fascist means or the main characteristics of fascism?
1. Totalitarian one party state - No, that seems to be what the parties trying to ban the AfD are aiming for.
2. Ultra-nationalism. No, perhaps a touch of patriotism in a desire to protect Germany's culture, values, traditions, heritage.
3. Racial superiority - No, AfD is critical of Islam, and does not want its more fundamentalist versions to again dominance in Germany. That is about culture and ideology not race. Islam is not a race.
4. Dictatorial power - that seems what its political opponents want judging by their design to ban the second party in Germany according to opinion polls.
5. Control of industry and commerce - no sign of this either. I'm not aware of any plans to nationalise Germany's private industry.
6. Positive view of violence? No, if anything AfD politicians have been the repeated victims of violence from Antifa, for example one MP, Frank Magnitz, was beaten to a pulp by a group of Antifa thugs and rushed to hospital. Photos of his face were on social media, with the left applauding.