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.

  • floofloof@lemmy.caEnglish
    111·
    8 hours ago

    You have to do it with care. If it comes over as believing that your non-bigoted, non-idiotic culture is superior to the fascists’ culture of bigotry and idiocy, they’ll dig in and rail against snobbish “elites” (that is, people who can string a sentence together and recognize a lie when they hear one). In the USA this sentiment strengthened the fascists and led to Trump winning the presidency twice.

    (I know I’m not exactly following my own advice but I’m feeling impatient with these people right now.)

      • floofloof@lemmy.caEnglish
        11·
        8 hours ago

        The person I was responding to suggested that ridiculing the AfD was preferable to banning it. In the USA people ridiculed but did not ban the Republican Party, and now it is stronger than ever. I was saying that this indicates you have to be careful how you ridicule them. If people feel you’re on their side and making fun of idiot fascists, that’s good. If people think you look like a snob and the fascists are the ones on their side, it backfires.