In Germany, German Democrats Christians, who won the February 23 elections, attack, to everyone’s surprise, to certain NGOs which they deem too critical towards them. The party of the probable future chancellor Friedrich Merz criticizes several associations for having called to demonstrate against him, before the elections, with taxpayers’ money. They protested in particular against the votes in Parliament who had gathered the conservatives and the extreme right. But this project aroused an outcry.
Democratic Christians Germans presented a catalog of more than 500 questions to the Bundestag to find out which associations receive public funds. They require accounts to 16 organizations as well known as Greenpeace, Amnesty International and even grannies against the extreme right. Marianne is 72 years old. She has been campaigning for a year and a half for this movement present in almost all the parades for democracy:
“” It has everything of an act of revenge. I believe that the CDU had not planned the consequences of His vote with AFD in the Bundestagnor the level of protest that it was going to arouse. By questioning our action, she tries to intimidate and delegitimize protest demonstrations. »»
For this militant grandmother, historian by profession, these attacks against her association are unfounded, for two reasons: ” We are a non -partisan association and do not belong to any great political regrouping. Second, we do not receive state money. »»
“” Radicalized conservatism »»
In Germanythis kind of attacks on NGOs and associations is usually rather the fact of the far right. That the conservative right is starting is new, and it has aroused very strong reactions. This political scientist at the Berlin Free University sees a parallel with what is happening in many other countries:
“” We note, within the Cdu And especially the Bavarian CSU, a phenomenon that we can observe in other countries. Among British conservatives, among Republicans in the United States, at the ÖVP, the Austrian People’s Partyit is a radicalized conservatism. This consists of a conservative policy which focuses very strongly on subjects linked to cultural struggle and which believes to take advantage of attacks against left wokism, against left minorities that would tyrannize the majority. We have replayed what has been going on for a few years in the United States. What we see in Germany is a huge increase in emotional polarization, the rejection of activists from other camps. »»
However, this case may not have concrete consequences. The SPD social democrats are the only possible coalition partners of the German right and they protest against the attitude of Friedrich Merz and his party. They posed as the very beginning of negotiations an accusation of accusations towards civil society. Friedrich Merzthe very likely future chancellor, has already softened the tone. To see if it will last.
The report of our correspondent in Berlin is to be found in its entirety in its European accents On and the application Pure radio.