EThat was the straw that broke the camel's back. Since the publication of the “Correctiv” research into a meeting of right-wing extremists, AfD and Union of Values politicians, an unprecedented wave of protests has swept the country, in metropolises as well as in small towns. Whether there were 35,000 or even 50,000 people who demonstrated in Frankfurt on Saturday, the message of these impressive rallies is clear: many people see the AfD as a serious threat to democracy and cohesion in the country. They are alarmed and now want to take a personal stand against the “shift to the right” and a loss of solidarity.
The vast majority of those who have been involved with the successful right-wing party for some time were not surprised by the “Correctiv” revelations. It is no secret that AfD politicians maintain contacts with right-wing extremists and convicted neo-Nazis. In Hesse there were also connections to the Identitarian movement, whose mastermind Martin Sellner praised his deportation plans at the Potsdam meeting, trivializing them as “remigration”.
But the revelations made it clear how widespread inhumanity has long been within the party. Many people now became unmistakably aware that it was their neighbors, their friends, their work colleagues who were being driven out of the country. That explains the eruptive outrage. And it also explains why – even if it is primarily left-wing initiatives that are calling for the protests – it is now a cross-section of society that is rebelling against the AfD, misanthropy and dreams of subversion.
It's about unity now. It was therefore an important sign that Mike Josef, Frankfurt's mayor, took the stage with Petra Roth at the anti-AfD protest. A social democrat and a Christian democrat united in the fight against the AfD: This should show how serious the situation is – and what holds democrats together, even if they otherwise see many things differently.
Debate openly, don't run behind
But that shouldn't stop the parties from further arguing with each other. An open, controversial debate about migration is important. And certainly not everyone who thinks about controlling immigration is automatically adding grist to the AfD's mill. A broad alliance against the far right should accept that not everyone shares the same beliefs – if the basic consensus is correct. The parties should have learned one thing: chasing the AfD is not a recipe for success.
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