Such sentiments have been growing in Germany since the start of the pandemic. And it’s true that the Germans had to deal with a lot, including the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, inflation, and, most recently, the painful aftermath of the war in Gaza. Despite increased immigration, skilled workers such as teachers, plumbers and IT professionals remain in short supply, and public infrastructure is crumbling. Add to this the fact that the government’s ambitious green transition plans are being hampered by brutal infighting, and the picture becomes grim. Everything seems to be changing, and not for the better.
In recent months, this feeling of dissatisfaction has thickened into contempt. Anecdotally, everyone seems to know someone who fell out of the mainstream by pledging to vote for the AfD or talking about immigration. The collapse in support for all three parties in government (the most popular of them, the Social Democratic Party, stands at around 15 percent in opinion polls) speaks volumes of widespread resentment. And that fundamental rejection is beginning to manifest itself in public.
This month, farmers held street demonstrations in several cities. What was ostensibly a protest against subsidy cuts quickly turned into a dark anti-government demonstration, with some protesters even setting up gallows. This threat was not merely symbolic. When Robert Habeck, the economy minister and the face of the government’s green transition policy, returned from vacation at the beginning of the year, he was greeted by an angry mob. Later reports revealed that the threat was orchestrated by individuals with far-right ties.
There is no way to know all the motives of the millions of people who have gathered in recent weeks. Judging by what protesters have told reporters, the wide range of groups organizing the protests, and the various signs on display, I suspect it will be difficult for everyone to agree on a common manifesto. Many came because they come from immigrant families, have immigrant friends and family, or simply because they reject racism. Some people protested against the AfD. Some accused the political class of promoting extremism. Indeed, no new political movement has been born. But they all have one thing in common: a new sense of crisis.
What we have begun to realize in recent months, and what the conference in Potsdam made clear, is that the far right is not about having terrible ideas, it’s about carrying out terrible ideas. German far-right supporters think so. With funding, support and a very real chance of winning a federal state this year, they are closer to power than ever before in post-Nazi Germany’s nearly 75-year history.