Hundreds of thousands took to the streets against right-wing extremism at the weekend. A Mannheim political expert was initially surprised by the sheer number of participants.
According to police, more than 900,000 people took part in the demonstrations against right-wing extremism in Germany last weekend (January 20th and 21st). In some cities, such as Munich, demos had to be canceled due to too large a crowd.
The Mannheim political scientist and senior professor Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck analyzes the mass demo phenomenon in an interview with SWR.
SWR Aktuell: Are you surprised by the force of the demos in terms of the number of people? In Heidelberg alone there were almost 20,000 people on Saturday (January 20th)…
Rüdiger Schmitt-Beck: Yes, the number of people initially surprised me. But less so now, after the phenomenon has already been unfolding for a week. What we can see here is a kind of “spiral” process. The protests are spreading, more and more people are joining in and this is stimulating more and more people to take part. People who might not otherwise have gone to a demonstration under other circumstances.
The original reason for the demos was of course the news (of the media company “CORRECTIV”) about outrageous mind games in AfD and AfD-affiliated circles about what has been described in other countries in the past as “ethnic cleansing”. The most serious human rights violations are a possibility. And that alarmed the public. So now we are observing a “spiral” process that will certainly reach a saturation point at some point in the foreseeable future, but is still surging at the moment.
SWR Aktuell: Who is taking part in these demonstrations? Looking at the pictures, that seems to be almost everyone: grandpa, grandma, parents, children…
Schmitt-Beck: Yes, we have a very large proportion of society that strongly rejects the AfD – right from the start. Now the mask (of the AfD) has been lifted a little bit. You now get “illustrative material” about what is actually being discussed in party-affiliated circles when the door is closed and the shutters are closed. This alarms very large parts of the population, which is also a very good sign. Because this is about the essence of our democracy, its real core: human dignity. Article one in the Basic Law. The fact that so many people are supporting this is a very, very good signal. Also that the population groups who are now taking to the streets are so diverse.
Expert: Many AfD supporters will probably insist on their positions
SWR Aktuell: What effect do such demonstrations have on AfD voters?
Schmitt-Beck: A few may think twice because these are not the plans that make the party interesting and attractive to them. A significant part of the electorate is also simply alienated from established politics, namely from all parties. Including the Union, which should actually be doing the opposition’s job at the moment, but apparently doesn’t enjoy a lot of trust. So: People who do not share the AfD’s ideological agenda – and there are certainly also those in its electorate – may think and ask themselves whether they really want to support such a political orientation.
What is more likely, however, is that most AfD supporters will “dig in” into positions that they already have, as a kind of counter-mobilization. Because no one who is attacked will directly tell the attacker that he is right or will agree with him. Rather, the insistence on one’s own position is likely to be reinforced. What can ultimately result is an increased polarization of society.
Another point worth mentioning: In the AfD and in the AfD-affiliated milieu, people like to claim to speak for “a silent majority of society”. And at the moment we can see on the street where the previously silent majority of society actually stands – somewhere else than near the AfD and its program.
Around 3,500 people gathered in front of the Red Town Hall in Berlin on January 17th. They had posters with them. It contained sentences like “Nazis out” and slogans against the AfD.
SWR current: How sustainable are these mass demonstrations against the right?
Schmitt-Beck: That’s always the case with protest phenomena: at some point it dies out. Protest is primarily aimed at the public and the mass media. Protest is pointless if the media doesn’t report on it. Because this makes the protest visible to society as a whole, including abroad. This should not be underestimated in its importance.
But protest cannot go on forever, at some point it becomes “boring”. And the media will then stop paying attention because at some point there will be nothing new or interesting about it. It is then simply “business as usual”. We will now be able to observe a rising (protest) wave, but it will subside relatively soon – I would say in two or three weeks. But we will then have a big wave behind us that, in terms of numbers, can really be compared to the really big protest events in Germany’s history. And that will also have changed the public climate in this country.
How do the numbers at demos actually come about? We shed light on the situation in detail in our post on Instagram:
Social media post on Instagram:
Political scientist: German industry has also recognized the danger
SWR Aktuell: Are the protests on the streets enough to put right-wing parties in their place? What else should happen?
Schmitt-Beck: No, that definitely won’t be enough. Basically, the argumentative battle with this party must be taken up offensively. In principle, your supporters have to be convinced individually in conversation that what plagues and oppresses them and what they presumably hope for from this party will not happen. Example: If you have economic worries and lean towards the AfD, this party will definitely not help you. On the contrary.
Even the industry has recognized the issue: it also needs internationally recruited skilled workers. And they will think three times about going to a country like Germany, where such a party enjoys great popularity. In industrial circles it has been recognized how dangerous this party is for the German economy. Things that AfD supporters tend not to see when in doubt. What is necessary, as strenuous and laborious as it is, is the small-scale conversation with individual supporters. Trying to understand why they like this party. Then you have to pick them up and try to convince them that this party will not help them with their worries and problems.
Broadcast on Monday, January 22nd, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., SWR4 in the afternoon, SWR4
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