Germany: Right Populism, Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia

[Widerstand]

Sup folks, I just made a blog (yeah I know :X), and being pretty uninspired right now, my first post is a short summary of a thread we had in the German language forum (which by the way is awesome and beats the dutch forum by miles *wink*).

http://buxtehudebrennt.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/right-populism-anti-semitism-islamophobia/

The threat of right populism is by no means a light one, and in fact the non-existence of a right-populist German party can mostly be blamed on a lack of celebrities. According to an infamous BILD survey, 18% would vote for a party led by Thilo Sarrazin. Nothing to worry about, politics are shit and will stay shit. Yeah. But according to two recent studies, these attitudes pervade society.

Published in October, a Friedrich-Eberhart-Stiftung survey has some interesting and alarming insights: Of 2411 questioned, over 50% of those described as “not right extremist” stated it’s perfectly understandable that some dislike Arabs and that the religious practice of Muslims should be severely restricted. This is of course not isolated from classical far right goodies – 37,6% agree that Germans need more national pride. 31,7% think it’d be good to deport migrants back to their “home” in case of job scarcity, and roughly 35% feel that migrants threaten the German state and only want to leech off our social system.

Is there hope? Well, only 32,1% think that what the German state refers to as democracy is working, and well over 70% are aware that the first exploits the third world, that globalization primarily benefits the rich, and that the international financial markets fucked up social equality (which, although not completely correct, at least is preferable to blaming outrageously lazy Greeks). Oddly enough, 46% think that socialism is a good idea, that’s just been applied wrong. Pray to every deity you know they’re not thinking of Hitler’s misnomer.

A more recent study paints a darker picture. The number of Germans supportive of restricting immigration of Muslims rose from 21% to 26% since 2009. Even compared to the Netherlands (just think of Geert!) Germany wins in Islamophobia rates – we also beat Denmark, France and Portugal by the way. But that’s not all! 49% of Germans think there are too many migrants in Germany, and 38% follow on the crypto-Antisemite road expressing their understanding of those disliking Jews because of Israel’s politics.

How do the sociologists explain all of this? “In essence it’s about an effort of the wealthy and rich to secure and increase social privileges ‘through devaluation and disintegration of those economically deemed useless and cultural clearance through devaluation.’ “

In regards to these trends, it might not be the worst idea to take a look at current right populist groups in Germany, as done by comrades of Hamburg’s SAV. Luckily, they seem pretty irrelevant. So far.

Discuss. General critique of the blog / style / whatever is appreciated as well, but this is primarily a political topic.

[Savage]

At least you guys don't have the detention centers that we have here in Australia, where detained asylum seekers commit suicide in large numbers when told that they're going back to Afghanistan, this news of course being of little importance on Australian television when compared to sport or the royal wedding.

[Kayser_Soso]

At least you guys don't have the detention centers that we have here in Australia, where detained asylum seekers commit suicide in large numbers when told that they're going back to Afghanistan, this news of course being of little importance on Australian television when compared to sport or the royal wedding.

That's shocking news. Where can I find more info on this?

[9]

the crypto-Antisemite road expressing their understanding of those disliking Jews because of Israel’s politics.
I understand why a Palestinian living in a refugee camp in Rafah might "dislik[e] Jews because of Israel's politics". Does that make me an anti-Semite?

[Savage]

That's shocking news. Where can I find more info on this?
Just search for anything to do with Australian immigration policy, particularly during the Howard era, but in the atrocities continue. Repressing refugees has bipartisan support, the small amount of people that actually support a major party just choose which one they believe will do the best at 'stopping the boats'.

[L.J.Solidarity]

At least you guys don't have the detention centers that we have here in Australia, where detained asylum seekers commit suicide in large numbers when told that they're going back to Afghanistan, this news of course being of little importance on Australian television when compared to sport or the royal wedding.

We have Abschiebeknäste ("deportation jails") where people are imprisoned for as long as it takes the state to collect enough "illegal aliens" to fill a plane and deport them. They're then banned from entering Germany again unless they have paid for the flight and "accomodation" in the jail. Often people aren't sent to where they came from but to a neighboring country with wich Germany has a "resettlement treaty", the authorities will forge documents in order to make them citizens of the country they will be deported to. Minors will be declared adults arbitrarily by the state's "doctors".
These conditions often lead to suicide, at least three people killed themselves in the deportation jails in and around Hamburg this year.

[Ligeia]

At least you guys don't have the detention centers that we have here in Australia, where detained asylum seekers commit suicide in large numbers when told that they're going back to Afghanistan, this news of course being of little importance on Australian television when compared to sport or the royal wedding.
Actually, there are enough cases in Germany like the one you described. (Suicide of asylum seekers because they are going to be deported).
Also some detention centers for asylum-seekers are in bad conditions (and badly located) and they don't have a lot of rights (e.g. like to move around in the region they are detained in).

And the blog-article. I think it's a nice summary.
But I don't know whether right populism, anti-immigrant sentiment and such are new ...they didn't recently develope themselves, unfortunately. Nonetheless, you could say there's a concentration going on in the media and politics to redirect anger and fear onto this lingering sentiments so that people don't accidentally make the right conclusions.

[Savage]

It's sad to hear that such policies exist around the world but I guess there isn't any state with an open door policy.

[Widerstand]

At least you guys don't have the detention centers that we have here in Australia, where detained asylum seekers commit suicide in large numbers when told that they're going back to Afghanistan, this news of course being of little importance on Australian television when compared to sport or the royal wedding.

Atually there has been a hunger strike recently, if I'm not completely off it was in a Bavarian Abschiebenknast.


I understand why a Palestinian living in a refugee camp in Rafah might "dislik[e] Jews because of Israel's politics". Does that make me an anti-Semite?

I'm pretty sure the average German didn't think of Palestinians living in detention camps when they answered that.


But I don't know whether right populism, anti-immigrant sentiment and such are new ...they didn't recently develope themselves, unfortunately. Nonetheless, you could say there's a concentration going on in the media and politics to redirect anger and fear onto this lingering sentiments so that people don't accidentally make the right conclusions.

They certainly aren't "new", but the first study mentioned suggests they've been declining until 2008, but then started rising again. The media's support of it is also fairly recent.

The last big right populist wave we had (IIRC) was the one in the early 90s, leading to attacks on several refugee camps.

[Palingenisis]

I'm pretty sure the average German didn't think of Palestinians living in detention camps when they answered that.

No in fairness they probably thought of white phosphous being rained down on kids.

[Widerstand]

No in fairness they probably thought of white phosphous being rained down on kids.

I'll give you a translation of the passage in the source article:

"There have been renewed tendencies of rising Anti-Semitism since 2008, especially observable with Israel-referencing Anti-Semitism, so especially when Anti-Semite resentment shimmers through in critique of Israel. This year, 38% agreed with the statement "Considering Israel's policies, I can well understand the one's against Jews."

In any case blaming "THE JEWS" just doesn't cut it, because not all Jews are Isrealis, not all Israeli Jews are supportive of Israel's politics, and not all IDF soldiers are Jewish.

Sounds more like you're just looking for apologies for German Anti-Semites really.

[Kayser_Soso]

We have Abschiebeknäste ("deportation jails") where people are imprisoned for as long as it takes the state to collect enough "illegal aliens" to fill a plane and deport them. They're then banned from entering Germany again unless they have paid for the flight and "accomodation" in the jail. Often people aren't sent to where they came from but to a neighboring country with wich Germany has a "resettlement treaty", the authorities will forge documents in order to make them citizens of the country they will be deported to. Minors will be declared adults arbitrarily by the state's "doctors".
These conditions often lead to suicide, at least three people killed themselves in the deportation jails in and around Hamburg this year.

Ok I definitely want more info on this. I've heard of similar things going on in France. My German isn't so great, so do you have any English links on the subject?

What nationality do the people tend to be? Gypsies, Poles, Romanians, Albanians?

[Kayser_Soso]

We shouldn't be surprised at all that nationalism and anti-semitism are rising in Europe. Since the collapse of the East Bloc, the ruling classes have been trying to take back the concessions that were made in the post-WWII era. Coupled with an economic crisis and "austerity" for the workers, the ruling class knows it needs people to be distracted and divided. This also explains why despite the end of the Cold War nearly 20 years ago, European history is being re-written so that Communism is said to be worse than Nazism. If Communism is supposedly worse than Nazism, then some people reason that fascism maybe wasn't so bad. The situation will inevitably get worse as the economy goes to hell.

We are certainly living in interesting times.

[Widerstand]

Ok I definitely want more info on this. I've heard of similar things going on in France. My German isn't so great, so do you have any English links on the subject?

What nationality do the people tend to be? Gypsies, Poles, Romanians, Albanians?

From my experiences it seems to be primarily Gypsies (and other people from the Balkans), people from Africa and from the Middle East.

As for English sources, well, hm. There aren't many I'd know of.

There are some blogposts:
http://birdsofimmigrants.jogspace.net/2010/10/09/travel-of-a-refugee/
http://bayern.jogspace.net/2010/11/24/closing-of-lagers/
http://bravadot.jogspace.net/

Here's the only English article I found to the hunger strikes in Bavaria, although it reduces the miserable conditions in the camps to "we get the wrong food", which is a rather cynical euphemism.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=bavarian-authorities-reject-intervention-in-refugee-hungerstrike-2010-12-03

[Kayser_Soso]

From my experiences it seems to be primarily Gypsies (and other people from the Balkans), people from Africa and from the Middle East.

As for English sources, well, hm. There aren't many I'd know of.

There are some blogposts:
http://birdsofimmigrants.jogspace.net/2010/10/09/travel-of-a-refugee/
http://bayern.jogspace.net/2010/11/24/closing-of-lagers/
http://bravadot.jogspace.net/

Here's the only English article I found to the hunger strikes in Bavaria, although it reduces the miserable conditions in the camps to "we get the wrong food", which is a rather cynical euphemism.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=bavarian-authorities-reject-intervention-in-refugee-hungerstrike-2010-12-03

Germany is doing a good job of covering it up because I could barely find any English-language stories on it, unlike the deportations in France.

By the way, does Germany still have leaders like that member of parliament who once mouthed off that he was sick of hearing about the Holocaust and said Jews should answer for their responsibility in "Communist atrocities"(standard Nazi fare)? I realize he got censured in some way(I think it was 2004 or 2005), but with the rise of nationalism in the past few years I would expect that sentiment is finding purchase again.

[Widerstand]

By the way, does Germany still have leaders like that member of parliament who once mouthed off that he was sick of hearing about the Holocaust and said Jews should answer for their responsibility in "Communist atrocities"(standard Nazi fare)? I realize he got censured in some way(I think it was 2004 or 2005), but with the rise of nationalism in the past few years I would expect that sentiment is finding purchase again.

They always get sanctioned because it's politically incorrect, doesn't mean people don't agree though.