MWith a view to the upcoming state elections in several eastern German states, Industry President Siegfried Russwurm has warned of AfD successes. “A political movement that calls for a turn backwards towards nationalism is harmful for this country: for the economy and for Germany’s reputation and success in the global context,” Russwurm told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
“We would do well to clearly oppose the AfD’s statements publicly: saying clearly that voting for them is not a harmless protest, but rather this is a party that is harmful to the future of our country and all of us.”
Beneficiary of globalization
The President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) argued that Germany thrives on cosmopolitanism and international trade “probably more than almost all other large countries in the world.” He called for “a social debate, a social movement to show people the consequences.” The AfD is “bad for this country, also because it fuels a climate of hatred, polarization and exclusion.”
Next autumn the state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg will be re-elected. The AfD was recently ahead in surveys in all three countries. The AfD state association in Saxony was recently classified by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a confirmed right-wing extremist effort; in Thuringia, the state AfD has been classified this way for a long time.
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