 |
| Marie le Pen of the FN party in France |
For
a long time France ignored the Front National – now it's the nation's
strongest party. Germany should not repeat this mistake in its dealings
with Nationalist AfD party.
Frauke Petry, the ambitious leader of the nationalist Alternative for Germany Party (AfD), is already snapping at Angela Merkel’s heels.
When
it comes to presidential elections in France, I haven't voted for a
political progran 30 years. The whole time I've simply been voting
against the Front National (FN). It's not a democratic act, it's
resistance. It doesn't have to come to that with the AfD in Germany.
Over the past 20 years, reunified Germany has become a model for
democracy and integration in Europe. The nation has changed in
incredibly positive ways. The Germans are confident and popular again in
the world. Their behaviour during the refugee crisis has been
exemplary.
Now, the rise of this far-right party has become a threat to
Germany's inner peace. The AfD may be compared with the FN in France:
against the system, against Europe, against Islam.
Both offer formulas
that question our democratic values and that will divide civil society.
The AfD is not yet as strong as the FN in France.
That′s why, when it
comes to dealing with right-wing extremists, German politicians should
learn from French errors.
Firstly, the danger must be taken seriously. The first mistake France
made was to ignore the FN. French politicians thought they could
continue to govern without taking any notice of the FN. They thought the
FN was not France.
For too long, the media also boycotted the FN – or
more accurately: ignored the party without confronting its arguments
with facts. For ages, people in France have been talking about the
"lying media". Journalists are also coming under attack from militants
who are convinced that the media are protecting mainstream parties.
The right-wing propaganda has worked. A consensus is being found in a
mood that is anti-Islamic, anti-European and even anti-German. Even in
the village in deepest France where I've always enjoyed talking to the
friendly people in the summer holidays, 42 percent gave their vote to
the FN. There are virtually no foreigners there.
The French discourse no longer revolves around "Liberte, Egalite,
Fraternite", but increasingly around the issue of security. The
essential question is whether Islam belongs to our society; there is a
serious debate going on today over whether the Muslims will replace "us"
in the end. Where have we ended up?
To fight the right-wing extremists, French politicians repeatedly
warned voters: help us to combat the FN – with your votes for us. Many
politicians remained in power with this "anti-FN" strategy, although
they were themselves the cause of the right-wing extremism. But what use
is a vote "against the FN", if the same politicians are embroiled in
affairs and make false promises?
The misguided approach to the FN has been making French democracy sick
for 30 years. The mainstream parties are split and have lost their
orientation. Most react in panic and try to copy the FN, to salvage what
can still be salvaged.
Similarly, poking fun at the AfD is no solution. We tried that in
France. The CDU experienced this in Saxony, claiming that the state was
immune to right-wing extremism. I also heard that said in France. 20
years ago.
The CDU in Saxony is now harvesting the fruits of its blind
politics, just as we are in France.
Fortunately, Germany's political system is still staffed with
upstanding folk, but the tendency of some politicians towards a tougher
stance on minorities shows that the failure of Saxony can be repeated
elsewhere. Sections of the CSU are attempting to overtake the AfD on the
right.
What a mistake! Voters don't want a copy, they'll choose the
original. This is exactly what happened in France. It will be exactly
the same in Germany. By pursuing such a strategy, the C-parties will be
split.
German politicians must stay on course. They should provide arguments
in favour of the constitutional state and democracy and show no
understanding when it comes to the right wing. In France people used to
say that the FN was asking good questions, but not coming up with any
good solutions.
Now, the French view the FN as a genuine alternative.
Over the past 20 years, I have seen the constitutional state on the
gradual retreat in France.
It's almost like the old days in East Germany: expatriation as a
weapon for greater security. Which politician seriously believes that
this can stop the terrorists? A policy agreed by a left-wing government
to entice voters away from the FN.
But in the end, the FN will win again. In the 2014 European
elections, it was the strongest party in France capturing almost 25
percent of the vote. In the 2017 presidential election, it could emerge
as the strongest force before the run-off ballot.
And again, I will vote
for a candidate whom I would not normally choose to put up resistance
"against the FN". For how much longer?
Read more: Take the AfD seriously – or you'll end up like us
