A commentary by Florian Zimmermann, President of the HVD Federal Association
After more than 56 years, an extreme right-wing party has once again been elected to the German Bundestag. They didn’t even have to bend over backwards in the election campaign, but openly won over almost six million voters with far-right, nationalist and racist statements. You have to let that sink in first.
But what does this mean for the pluralistic, philanthropic society that we as humanists strive for? 87 percent voted for other parties. What is an isolated opposition party supposed to achieve? Germany is thus returning to European normality. Depending on the outcome of the coalition negotiations, they may not even become opposition leader – Such statements, such a fading out, are obvious to quite a few people. But it falls short. 94 parliamentarians are paid and equipped by our state to convey their misanthropic views to society on a full-time basis and to act as transmission belts in politics. Proclamation-related activity, to use an ideological term. Or political lobbying.
In his first comment, AfD top candidate Gauland announced: “We will hunt them down. We will hunt down Mrs. Merkel or whoever.” On the surface, this may sound like a declaration of war on the future government, but it is a classic “dog-whistle“, an ambiguous message. In recent years, since right-wing populism took root, the number of xenophobic attacks has risen dramatically. Since the fall of communism, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation 179 victims of right-wing violence. The number of homophobic crimes and attacks on LGBTIQ* people has also risen significantly. How will a trans person feel, for example, whose identity the AfD considers to be gender madness? A woman who has escaped the war in Syria with her children and hears here that the use of weapons at the external borders is being called for? Or a German who doesn’t look particularly “German” because his parents or grandparents immigrated decades ago?
Perhaps only a few of us are affected ourselves, but we humanists in particular should show our solidarity. Not just because misanthropy also happens under the guise of alleged criticism of Islam, but because it is about our values. We stand up against discrimination, we stand up against sexism and we are loud against racism. The election results by region show that the AfD is particularly strong in areas where right-wing milieus have been thriving for some time. Misanthropy does not develop overnight. It starts with hollow slogans that no one counters. It develops into insults and direct hostility that go unpunished. And too often ends in violence against people. It is up to all of us to defend our values – open diversity, self-determination in responsibility for others, solidarity and tolerance – and to show our fellow human beings that we are not alone! You are not alone!
