ERIS Meeting Notes: Saturday 14 February, 2015
In February 2015, Stefan Pfiefer, a German Economic and Industrial Adviser to the Labour Prime Minister of Nord Rhine-Westphalia, visited ERIS to discuss the question: German Political Parties and Their Response to the FarRight?
As evidenced in the last European Election, anti-immigration, Euroscepticism, anti- Islamic and nationalist politics is on the rise and across Europe right-wing parties in many established democratic states including: the Front National in France, Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, Golden Dawn in Greece and the Danish People’s Party are gaining power and influence on a national and European political stage.
German Politics:
In Germany, there are two, far-right, political parties: Alternative for Germany (AfD) and National Democratic Party for Germany (NPP). Although, both parties do attract significant support, at the last federal election in 2013, neither exceeded the 5% threshold required to gain a seat in the Bundestag and access official state funding.
Although support for formal right-wing political parties is being expressed through the ballot box, in autumn 2014, a significant political event occurred outside of the normal channels. Pegida (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West), is a free-form political organisation created via (Facebook) social media. Its leader, Lutz Buchmann, a Dresden born public relations executive, started to organise weekly Monday evening demonstrations or ‘evening strolls’ calling for restrictive immigration policies and protesting about the ‘islamiziation of the west’.
Pegida demonstrations attracted a range of people but often included a right-wing extremist and neo-Nazi element including soccer hooligans. Critics dubbed the demonstrators ‘pinstripe Nazi’s’ and in many German cities Anti-Pegida protestors actually out-numbered the official Pegida ones. However, by January 2015, an estimated 25,000 people joined one demonstration and in the same month Pegida organised a rally in Newcastle, UK.
Pegida, is a new actor in the German political scene, despite a temporary setback in February when its leader Lutz Buchmann posted ‘Hitler selfies’ of himself on- line. In April, Geert Wilders the leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom was invited to attend one of the Dresden events and Pegida has significant on-line support.
Responses from the Political Parties:
Critics state that the rise of the far-right agenda in Germany is a result of avoidance issues by the mainstream political parties. Concerns around immigration and the failure to mount a robust challenge to anti-islamic feeling have created a political vacuum that the likes of the AfD, NPP or Pegida filled. To her credit Chancellor Angela Merkel positioned herself against the traditional wing of her own Christian Democrat Party (CDU) in stating that the Muslim religion is an integral part of German society and that intolerant and xenophobic attitudes are not welcome. The trade unions and centre left SDP is likewise opposed.
ERIS Comment:
The rise of the right in Germany is not unique and across Europe many established democracies are experiencing a new political reality based around nationalism, anti-immigration and Euroscepticism. It is a challenge for all political parties and trade unions to address these concerns.
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