When Germany Stands Up

Last Friday, I did something I’ve not done for almost a decade: I sat down with a pen and a sheet of cardboard and made a placard. I like to imagine myself a creative spirit, but my practical skills and general penmanship usually fail to match whatever vision I have in my head, and though the lettering was slightly wonky, I was happy with the hour or so of work I put in. As I scribbled away, there were thousands of others, doing exactly the same thing: sitting at home, trying to express their frustrations and latent anger through the medium of card and permanent marker. The fruits of our endeavours would be seen the following day, as 25,000 people came together at the Rathausplatz in the city of Augsburg to protest right-wing extremism, and the continuing rise of Germany's far-right party, the AfD.

The demonstration in Augsburg was one of many that have taken place over the last month, following reports that politicians from the AfD met with other right-wing extremist groups to discuss the topic of “Remigration”, a plan that would see immigrants, and even German citizens, deported from the country for not being quite “German enough”. The shock and outrage that accompanied these revelations morphed into more direct action, which has seen millions of ordinary Germans take to the streets to show their opposition to the right-wing, but also their support for democracy. 

I’ve read in some sections of the German media that this nascent movement is a turning point for the country, underlined by the phrase “Deutschland steht auf” or “Germany stands up”. Standing in the middle of the Rathausplatz last Saturday, it certainly felt like something was shifting in society. For much of 2023, politics had been dominated by right-wing talking points, not always those coming directly from the AfD, but certainly to their benefit. With the right framing public debate on a range of topics, the AfD has seen their polling numbers increase to a point that suggests they could be the second largest party in the Bundestag come the next election. Along with the polls, there have been minor, but important, successes for AfD politicians, in municipal elections across the east, winning positions that for a long time seemed far out of their reach. At moments in the last 12 months, it has felt like there was no stopping the inexorable rise of the far-right. Then came the scandal in January, which has motivated people, like myself, into some form of action. 

The reaction across the political spectrum, and in the media, has been broadly supportive of the protests, although it’s interesting to note that no one party has attempted to place themselves at the forefront of what is a grassroots movement. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has attended protests, most notably in Potsdam, but was at pains to point out he was there as a German citizen and not as the leader of the country. Other members of the Traffic Light coalition government have made appearances too, and some have given speeches, but beyond that, the protests have a distinctly home-grown feel to them. There’s no committee, no figurehead, just the general public, who want to make their voices heard.

Since Saturday, I’ve come across a number of different perspectives and interpretations of what is currently happening across the country, some positive, but also many negative, explanations. Beyond the obvious, and ultimately disingenuous critics in the AfD, I’ve struggled to understand why some see the protests as anything other than encouraging. Discussing this topic while recording our podcast ‘Decades from Home’ earlier this week, myself and co-hosts Dili and Simon, found ourselves talking about why many Germans have been motivated to take to the streets for this protest, while at the same time showing a general unwillingness to show the same support for protests against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Admittedly, I bristled at this line of thinking, since it inherently seeks to devalue the motivations of people. Protest isn’t zero sum after all, there are myriad reasons why one movement grows while others remain static.

In other quarters, there have been questions about the true impact of millions taking to the streets against the AfD. Historian Katja Hoyer, writing in ‘The Spectator’, points out that while the protests have been going on, support for the AfD has increased, evidenced by their claims that in January 1,900 new party members were registered. Even if we were to take these numbers at face value, which I’m not particularly inclined to do, the numbers pale in comparison to the thousands protesting. Hoyer also points out that the tone of the protests, and opprobrium meted out to the AfD, may well backfire. Citing Hillary Clinton’s infamous “deplorables” jibe in 2016, Hoyer claims that few minds are changed with insults. Though this is true, few minds are changed by evidence either, entrenched opinion is a difficult beast after all. This argument also presupposes that the overall purpose of the protests is to actually change minds. Having now seen one up close, I tend to disagree with this assessment.

Wary as I am of making exaggerated claims about the meaning and possible impact of the growing movement against the right-wing, while taking part last Saturday, I was hyper aware that the crowd in the Rathausplatz came from across the political spectrum. I have no way of knowing the voting intentions of the 25,000 in Augsburg, but given the area is a stronghold of the CSU, a party that had success in regional elections last year by co-opting right-wing talking points, at least, statistically, some of the people in attendance must have been supporters of that party. Standing shoulder to shoulder with them were representatives of various unions, which were easier to spot since they had helpfully brought their logo-emblazoned banners with them, and if the smell of tea-tree oil that emanated from certain sections of the crowd was anything to go by, there were also many Green Party supporters there too. Given the CSU, and its sister party the CDU, have openly declared the Green Party to be their main rivals, and having been nothing but critical of the SPD-led government, it says something that these groups found common cause across the political divide last Saturday afternoon.

It’s too early to say what impact this wave of protests will have on the polls - the upcoming EU election may give us some sense - but I find it hard to believe that it won’t have some influence on proceedings. The scale and breadth of protests dwarfs anything seen in recent years, and though it might not be a truly coherent movement, when ordinary people take to the streets in such large numbers, especially in the generally placid environs of Germany, it’s certainly worth taking notice.

Proofreader: @ScandiTina

Photo Credit
Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash
Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash
Photo by Vsevolod Tymofyeyev on Unsplash
Photo by Massimo Virgilio on Unsplash