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.

  • @[email protected]
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    -123 months ago

    I suspect banning them will make them more powerful than they are. What we really need to do with these movements is to ridicule them at every chance possible, do not only condemn them but actively mock them and treat them with the highest degree of disdain. Make it clear that a shitstain is more worthy of consideration than them. We used to do that with the KKK in the US and it worked wonders.

    • 🦄🦄🦄
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      233 months ago

      No it won’t. Banning them will defund them AND it bans any follow-up parties they would otherwise create.

      • @[email protected]
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        203 months ago

        Banning them will defund them AND it bans any follow-up parties they would otherwise create.

        And it will finally end their constant appearance on television, where they can advertise Nazi crap.

      • @[email protected]
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        -33 months ago

        But the afd voters won’t disappear. The problem is not the party, but the fact that millions vote for it. People have to be convinced not to vote for it.

        • 🦄🦄🦄
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          103 months ago

          No the problem with the highest priority is the nazi party clawing for power.

        • @[email protected]
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          73 months ago

          I agree, the voters wouldn’t disappear but it would take time for them to find a new party to vote for. The time difference might be worth it.

        • @[email protected]
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          63 months ago

          One step after another. Right now the #1 priority is stopping the fucking facists from getting into power.

    • @[email protected]
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      3 months 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.)

        • @[email protected]
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          83 months 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.

          • 🦄🦄🦄
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            33 months ago

            Got it. I thought the “being careful” part was about banning, not ridiculing :)

      • @[email protected]
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        43 months ago

        Violence against movements have a history of galvanizing them. For evidence look at the OG Nazis.

        Also a ban, imo, does not qualify as violence. Violence would be if the discussion was to purge them like the roaches they are, but that’s not what’s happening.

        • @[email protected]
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          13 months ago

          The OG Nazis never felt state repression. They would murder people and then judges set them free again because they were “obviously acting in the national interest”. The whole judiciary back then was trained during monarchy and did not consider law passed by mere parliament, the mob, as valid, they basically saw the Nazi’s autocracy as a downgraded version of having an emperor, but at least it wasn’t, *shudder*, democrats.