TIROLER TAGESZEITUNG, editorial: “The horror is creeping up again,” by Gabriele Starck

2024-01-10 21:01:04

Issue from Thursday, January 11, 2024

Innsbruck (OTS) – At the secret meeting of right-wing extremists and AfD politicians in November, the foundations of the constitutional state were scratched. This is extremely dangerous. The examples from the USA and Hungary show how vulnerable democracies are.

It is the pattern of dehumanization: removing what does not suit a self-defining group. What could shatter their supposed superiority and supposedly only true way of life and ultimately even cost them a piece of their wealth. It is the pattern of right-wing extremism, that of the National Socialists.
The secret meeting between right-wing extremists and high officials of the German parliamentary party AfD in Potsdam, which became known yesterday, is not surprising. But it’s disturbing. Because the seriousness with which they discussed how to get rid of people of foreign origin and those who support them is too reminiscent of the darkest pages of German and Austrian history.
To trivialize such things would be an irreparable mistake. Of course, these forces must first come to power. But the way there is not far anymore. The AfD is well ahead in the polls in the three eastern German states where elections are taking place this year. And the argument that a democracy and the constitutional state have to cope with something like this is negligent. The roadmap for implementing such racist plans has long been clear. And the next stage was also discussed in Potsdam – the weakening of democracy.
The tools for this have recently been used in a number of countries and have been successful. It’s about publicly doubting election results and the judiciary (see Donald Trump in the USA) as well as discrediting the free press or degrading it to compliant vicarious agents, as in Hungary. With the help of our own portals and social media campaigns, a right-wing extremist parallel public is created. The participants in the secret meeting collected money and sought additional supporters.
Once the propaganda finds a majority, the rule of law and the constitution run the risk of being unhinged – to the detriment of everyone.