Source: The Economist, Aug 29 2024.
So, Germany took a hard right turn on Sunday. Yes, Germany of all places. Two regional elections—Saxony and Thuringia—put the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the lead. You don’t have to dig deep in the history books to understand why some people might be a little jumpy. But there’s something else going on here, something deeper. Across the whole political scene in Germany, there’s a new tune: anti-immigration.
The BBC was blunt about the AfD: “Yes,” they said, the party was far-right. The reasons are plain—nationalism, anti-euro, and the dark nods to a Nazi past. There isn’t much left to be said on that front, and I have little to add. But there’s something the AfD was early to tap into, which the traditional parties had abandoned—the unease of German voters over immigration. In 2017, the party erupted into the Bundestag. In no small part because of its vociferous resistance against Angela Merkel’s open arms in 2015, when she welcomed millions from the Middle East. The AfD has seized every misstep, every falter, of the considerable influx to their political advantage. Just over a week ago in Germany, at a festival meant to celebrate diversity, by the blade of a knife, three people were killed and eight wounded. A 26-year-old Syrian was arrested, and the Islamic State took credit. This isn’t the first time blood has been spilled in such a way.
Source: Statista
Before we sniff at them, remember this: Europe was taken by a swell of sympathy for the millions fleeing Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The high-mark of it was in 2015, when the photo of a lifeless two-year-old Syrian boy on a Greek beach shocked the world. And Germany, under Merkel, acted. She opened the border the millions in despair. Westerners felt shame as they looked to distant suffering. Germany had an even darker past to confront. Its generosity was a bid for redemption. Between 2015 and 2019, 1.7 million sought asylum in Germany, making it one of the top five countries for refugees, alongside Pakistan and Uganda (UNHCR).
That was almost ten years ago. Germany has moved on, and it’s not just the right. After the recent terror attack, the Federal government, still led by Merkel’s left-wing party, expelled 28 Afghans—all convicted criminals. “Whoever commits crimes cannot expect us not to deport [them],” Chancellor Olaf Scholtz said at a campaign event. Even the center-right, who did well in the regional elections, echoed this. Reiner Haseloff, CDU state premier of Saxony-Anhalt, stated there is an urgent need for stronger migration laws, better deportation practices, and greater security (DW).
The best proof lies on the left. The old centrist groups are barely hanging on in their Federal coalition under Chancellor Scholtz. They took another hit on Sunday. Out of the wreckage, a new figure emerges—Sahra Wagenknecht with her one-woman show, BSW. As usual, she’s calling for more pensions, higher wages, but also wants to slow down climate policies and close the door for refugees. East German roots, Iranian father, not your usual left-side story. She went hard against Merkel’s 2015 decision on refugees, and the left absolutely castigated her for it. Forming her own party just this year, the BSW is already the third largest in both of yesterday’s regional elections.
These two elections reflect East Germany’s own strife, but they hint at a shift across the whole country. New ideas are steering politics now. Or at least new feelings to old ideas. Restrictive migration policies are not just for extremists anymore; it’s an issue every serious party, including the present coalition, has been embracing to win votes. Austria just announced it was joining Germany in deporting convicted refugees. And Canada’s golden boy, Trudeau, has recently stepped back from his open-door stance. If you put your hands into the muck, sift through the noise and hysteria about the far-right, you will dig out one big thing: anti-immigration.
In other news
France: Macron’s dating has extended to past politicians, including Cazeneuve or former Presidents Hollande and Sarkozy. Seems like many in the media have already baked the wedding cake without knowing who the bride is. (Le fig)
UK: First round of voting among Tories to see who will lead after Sunak (Inews)
Belgium: Their election was in June, they still haven’t formed a coalition. (Voxeurop)
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov indicted on all charges and banned from leaving France (Euronews)