German parliament to debate ban on far-right AfD next week ｜ DPA
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The German parliament is to debate an application for a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in plenary session for the first time next week, its proposers said in Berlin on Monday. "With its constantly increasing radicalism, the AfD is expressing historically revisionist positions with increasing blatancy," one of the initiators, Marco Wanderwitz of the centre -right CDU, said. He cited a recent statement from AfD co-head Alice Weidel, in which she termed Adolf Hitler a communist. Carmen Wegge of the centre-left SPD called on the Bundestag to open the way for the Constitutional ...

Summary

Germany’s parliament will debate a proposed ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the first time next week.

The proposal cites the AfD’s increasing radicalism and historically revisionist statements, such as co-leader Alice Weidel’s claim that Hitler was a communist.

Under Germany’s constitution, a party ban requires proof of opposition to constitutional principles.

Critics warn that a ban could portray the AfD as martyrs.

The AfD currently polls in second place at 20% ahead of February elections.

  • UpperBroccoli@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    2·
    3 hours ago

    Believe it or not, they have always been there. The difference between the olden days and now is one of acceptance: In the olden days, most of these people voted conservative (CDU, CSU, FDP). They didn’t vote for straight-up fascist parties, because doing so was considered inacceptable by a huge part of the populace. What the AfD did was to shift the conversation further and further to the right, keep saying the unsayable and make it more and more “normal”. At the same time, the CDU under Merkel divorced itself from the extreme right by declaring themselves a party of the center, after silently accepting the fact they were the party of choice for a lot of people with fascist ideals for decades.

    What we as a society have to do is to say “STOP - this is not acceptable!”, and banishing the AfD is exactly that. I am not sure where the voters of the AfD will go instead, probably the BSW or some other shit party, but that is still a better option than a strong fascist party that keeps getting attention and keeps shifting the conversation to the right until we wake up and live in nazi germany once more.