German mainstream scrambles to thwart rising popularity of the far right | DW News

The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has partially classified as right-wing extremist, is enjoying record highs in opinion polls.
At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets to demonstrate against the anti-immigration party.

The German Bundestag is also debating how to deal with the AfD, with the three governing parliamentary factions — the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP)— submitting a motion on the issue. The topic: "Resilient democracy in a diverse country — a clear stand against the enemies of democracy and their plans of forced displacement."

The move was prompted by a media report about a meeting last fall of right-wing extremists, attended by AfD officials as well as members of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The gathering is said to have been about plans for the so-called remigration, or expulsion, of millions of people who have immigrated to Germany.

In the parliamentary debate, Bernd Baumann, the AfD's parliamentary secretary and chief whip in the German parliament, told lawmakers the meeting was no more than a "small, private debate club," but not a "secret meeting dangerous to the public."

But Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) called it "an active effort to shift borders and to spread contempt for democracy and misanthropy into the heart of society."
Faeser said she could also imagine banning the party — but only as a last resort.

00:00 Background
01:20 Kai Arzheimer, University of Mainz

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[Vandelberger]

Meanwhile Pakistan kicked out 1 million Afghans.

[jimmyb]

Isn’t banning political opponents considered one of the signals that a government is

[kayskreed]

The government will have to fix the issues that lead the far right sentiments to rise in the first place. Far right thinking is a symptom of an underlying problem. It becomes dangerous when that underlying problem isn't fixed or is ignored.

[truthseeker-wjiu]

The Angela Meekel's open border policy could have been one cause of this shift in voter's minds.

[texmj]

Rather ban parties that try to address the problem than try to fix the problem themselves

[braxxian]

All Germany had to do was have a sensible immigration policy and the AfG would never have found fertile ground. Apparently however that was to hard.

[edw]

Why is there so much talk about the Far Right? But never discussions about the Far Left?

[crissmilton]

The great beauty of European democracy in full display.
We ban political party who does not obey us.

[williampiel]

Germany should do like Sweden: the “sensible”parties should adopt anti-immigration positions so that the electorate isn’t forced to vote for the “crazy” parties.

[jackkruese]

If some voters have a major concern and that concern is ignored by mainstream politicians then theres a risk they’ll go and vote for someone who doesn’t ignore that concern. And we know where that can lead.

[windsongwong]

Who can blame the rise of the far right when the country is not doing well.
To most poor people, when their entitlement is cut….why should immigrants get government entitlements or subsidies.
It is different if the country is doing well.

[goldenjamie]

wanting your country and culture to exist 50 year from now is extremist?

[NinjaMan]

I can't be the only one who sees such a move as anti-democratic.

[More-kxzo]

When the majority is far right then there's no far right

[eddavis]

Why is the left never referred to as “Far-Left?”

[easybandzofficial]

Democracy until there is real opposition then democracy goes out the window 😂

[ryanv]

I always laugh when the left scramble to very undemocratic means when people stop voting for them 😂

[kodyarceneaux]

It's not the far right you should worry about. It's the far left that people should worry about. Anyone who wants more government control is a problem.

[wetlandweasel]

Could the popularity of the AfD be due to failed policies of the current administration? Could the popularity of the AfD be due to their voice which aligns the with the voice and sentiments of the general populace where the current administration has lost touch and connection with the general populace?

[englishweather]

how can it be right to end a party that is popular with the people, this is not democracy.