Culture Minister Criticizes Public Broadcasters as “Politically Inclined,” Warns Against Right-Wing Appropriation of National Symbols
BERLIN – germany’s Minister of Culture, Wolfram Weimer, has leveled criticism at the country’s public service broadcasting system, accusing it of political one-sidedness leaning to the left. He simultaneously condemned threats against journalists, citing the recent case of ZDF presenter Dunja Hayali as evidence of a dangerously polarized public discourse.
“This is a sign of how hazardous the polarized, poisoned public discourse is now. He puts journalists in danger,” weimer stated, according to German news agency KNA. “Every reasonable politician in the political center must obtain attitude. And we all agree that this is to be sentenced.”
Weimer emphasized the importance of financially securing public broadcasting through license fees, but argued its current trajectory is alienating a important portion of the population. “The public service broadcasting has an acceptance problem because it has a politically inclined left. It is indeed not good if many millions of germans have to pay forced contributions, but they feel that they will not be represented there. That should change.”
Beyond the issue of public broadcasting, Weimer issued a stark warning about a “cultural struggle” being waged by the far-right Choice for Germany (AfD) party. He urged the political center to actively defend national symbols and spaces from appropriation by right-wing extremists.
“The bourgeois center must comment, it must not reveal their rooms, their symbols, otherwise they occupy others,” Weimer cautioned, pointing to recent marches by right-wing extremists at historically significant locations like Hambacher Castle – a site of early german democracy – and the Hermannsdenkmal monument. “Or the Hermannsdenkmal. That doesn’t belong to the AfD. This is our Robin Hood and not its nationalist.”
Weimer also addressed the AfD’s rising support in eastern Germany, stating he doesn’t believe 30% of East Germans genuinely sympathize with neo-nationalist ideologies.He framed the situation as a broader societal challenge, arguing, ”I find it unfair to tell the East Germans, the AfD topic is your problem. The entire society has a problem here.” He stressed the need to “hold up the torch of the Enlightenment” in the face of emerging authoritarianism, polarization, and social decay across the country.
The minister’s comments come amid growing concerns about the strength of democratic institutions and the rise of extremist ideologies in Germany, 35 years after reunification. His call for a robust defence of national values and a more representative public broadcasting system reflects a broader effort to counter the AfD’s influence and safeguard Germany’s democratic foundations.