AfD ban motion to be voted on in the Bundestag | Over 60 civil society organizations demand approval from all democratic parties | Historical mistake must not be repeated

The motion to initiate the ban procedure before the Federal Constitutional Court against the Alternative for Germany party will be discussed in the Bundestag next week. The campaign Defend Human Dignity - Ban the AfD Now!, which has been joined by over 60 civil society organizations, is calling on members of the Bundestag to vote in favour of initiating proceedings to ban the AfD before the new elections.

“We are facing a fateful week for democracy in Germany. The members of the Bundestag have it in their hands to protect our democracy and initiate the long overdue proceedings to ban the AfD. Last year, 17 renowned constitutional law experts confirmed that the proceedings have a chance of success. Recently, more than 300 lawyers also backed this legal assessment in an open letter. There has long been sufficient evidence to justify the initiation of proceedings. The Federal Constitutional Court must finally be given the opportunity to review the case,” explains Julia Dück, spokesperson for the campaign. “It seems increasingly unlikely that we will get this chance again in the next legislature. The developments in Austria show this: We must not stand by and wait until an extreme right-wing party has actually come to power,” adds Malte Engeler, press spokesperson for the campaign.

“To emphasize our demand, we are holding a rally in front of the Greens' federal delegates' conference on 26 January. Here, too, we will demonstrate: It is also the responsibility of the Green MPs to do the right thing now and vote for an AfD ban,” explains Julia Dück.

Marie Naaß, Head of Political Public Affairs at Sea-Watch, adds: “A defensive democracy must intervene where its foundations are threatened. It is only as strong as its will to defend itself. Weimar taught us that too much tolerance for intolerance is deadly. The AfD is a threat to all those who do not fit into its world view and stand up for justice and human rights. The MPs must not repeat historical mistakes and must clear the way for a ban procedure.”

Fatma Kar from Polylux explains: “A ban on the AfD could provide a great deal of relief for civil society in eastern Germany, which is currently under enormous pressure. Those who oppose the misanthropy of the far right with their names and faces on a daily basis, who have been defending democratic principles for years without receiving any significant support from “big politics”, can thus regain urgently needed room for maneuver. Not least in the Polylux network, the “other East” becomes visible and all those who stand up for it deserve every form of support.”

Berkan Kaya from the Postmigrant Lawyers' Association affirms: “The free and democratic basic order begins with human dignity and is therefore essentially anti-racist from the point of view of the Postmigrant Lawyers' Association. It has been confirmed in court that there are sufficient indications that the AfD is pursuing efforts against human dignity and the principle of democracy, in particular through targeted verbal attacks on Muslim and racialized people and refugees. An AfD ban must therefore be examined immediately in order to protect the human dignity of all people.”