German Court Cuts Funding to Far-Right Party
On Tuesday, Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled that the subsidies and tax relief enjoyed by far-right party Die Heimat (The Homeland) are to be canceled for six years — the first ever such ruling.
Facts
- On Tuesday, Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled that the subsidies and tax relief enjoyed by far-right party Die Heimat (The Homeland) are to be canceled for six years — the first ever such ruling.1
- In its ruling, the court claimed that Die Heimat, earlier called the Nationalist Democratic Party, has a ‘racist, in particular anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and anti-Gypsy attitude,’ which violates Germany’s constitutional principles.2
- In 2017, the Karlsruhe-based court likened Die Heimat to Adolf Hitler’s outfit but stopped short of banning it after deciding it wasn’t popular enough to pose any potential threat.3
- While Die Heimat has failed to meet vote thresholds to receive subsidies in recent times, it was still able to claim tax advantages. The ruling now places the spotlight firmly on Germany’s right-wing party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has seen growing support and has polled second in recent surveys.4
- In 2022, a German court classified AfD as a suspected threat to democracy, saying there were “sufficient indications of anti-constitutional goals within the AfD’ — an allegation the party denied. This gave Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution the right to surveil the organization.5
- Meanwhile, Saturday saw tens of thousands stepping out across Germany to protest AfD’s alleged proposal to deport millions of immigrants and refugees.6
Sources: 1DW, 2Barron’s, 3Al Jazeera (a), 4Washington Examiner, 5The Guardian and 6Al Jazeera (b).
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by The Guardian. The rise and spread of the extreme right-wing in Germany ought to set off alarm bells not only in the country, but throughout Europe since the German extremists’ raison d’etre is Euroscepticism. The likes of AfD and Die Heimat need to be undercut — and quickly. While the massive German protest last week is a good sign, it is far from enough. There has to be a multi-pronged approach to battle these toxic forces.
- Right narrative, as provided by National Post. Under the veil of acting in the name of democracy, Germany’s elites are ironically making moves to ban the AfD simply for not conforming to their doctrine. Rather than trying to decide which parties are tolerable on the electorate’s behalf, Germany’s establishment should address the reason behind the AfD’s rising popularity: Faced with a dearth of democratic representation, unbridled immigration, and a sputtering economy, Germans are getting more and more alienated from mainstream politics.
