The East-German-State was not soft with dissidents.
The Stasi had its own program to fight against unpleasant opposition.
The program aimed at people who criticized the government meaning those who had a different opinion than the prevailing opinion.
The legislation of the East-German-State called this staatsfeindliche Hetze (anti-state hate).
The program was called Zersetzung (tearing apart).
Zersetzung was the covert influence of individuals with the aim of undermining their ability to act, their personal integrity and public reputation.
For this purpose the Stasi invaded the privacy of the target persons in order to reorganize them or damage their property.
Items could be switched from one day to the next or tire could be punctured.
Moreover the stasis used the systematic discrediting of the people's reputation by means of undeniable but not necessarily true allegations, as well as the generation of mistrust, mutual suspicion and rivalry in groups.
For this purpose the Stasi relied on a steadily growing number of unofficial collaborators (inoffizielle Mitarbeiter/IM).
And to endanger the livelihood of the target person the Stasi systematically organized professional and social failures.
This was possible because the economy of the East-German-State was controlled by the government.
[1]
But this approach is even older. Disintegration (Zersetzung) during the Weimar Republic was a strategic measure of psychological warfare to weaken the soldiers' morale. During the Nazi era the offense of Wehrkraftzersetzung (disintegration of the armed forces) was introduced. The Wehrkraftzersetzung consisted of conscientious objection against the military service, self-mutilation and the expression of doubts about the Wehrmacht and its leadership. Doubts could be those against the Nazi ideology, military orders or military reports. Actions or statements that could have called in question or harm the Wehrmacht and its leadership were therefore forbidden. [2] [3] [4]
In 2016 the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published the paper "Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD" (Demanding, clarifying, setting limits - recommendations for dealing with AfD). [5] The foundation was named after Amadeu Antonio Kiowa a victim of right-wing violence in Germany. The director of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is Anetta Kahane. Kahane was in the East-German-State an unofficial collaborators (IM Viktoria) of the Stasi. During her time as an unofficial collaborators she described Thomas and Klaus Brasch as "enemies of the state" in 1976. The program of Zersetzung of the government was then directed at Thomas Brasch until he committed suicide. [6] Kahane was early on in 2003 by Heidi-Knake Werner (Left Party then PDS). The Party wanted to make Kahane a representative for foreigners. [7] Striking is that her german Wikipedia article is significantly shorter than her english Wikipedia article. Her activity for the Stasi is only a small note in her german Wikipedia article. [8] [9]
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is funded by the German Federal Government. In response to a parliamentary inquiry the German government revealed that the Amadeu Antonio Foundation receives three million euros annually since 2010. The financing is justified by the fight against extremism. [10] According to own data however the Amadeu Antonio Foundation has only 15 employees. [11]
In the paper "Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD" (Demanding, clarifying, setting limits - recommendations for dealing with AfD) the Amadeu Antonio Foundation wants to provide suggestions to fight the AfD. Already in the foreword the AfD is set on a par with right-wing extremism. The German public debates is referred to as racist and sexist. In addition the Amadeu Antonio Foundation claims that the AfD is undemocratic. Sources for the allegations are not delivered. [5,S.3ff]
Teachers, journalists and politicians are encouraged to take action against the AfD. Journalists should report neutrally and teachers are even required under German law to teach neutral. Educators should for example address the antisemitism of the AfD. Sources for this claim are not provided. [5,S,4/6/10] The AfD is also accused of wanting to establish an authoritarian social order and to reject pluralism. Sources for this claim are not provided. In the absence of sources and the presumption of innocence however it must be assumed that the AfD is not guilty of this. Then however the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is authoritarian and against pluralism, if it wants to act against dissidents. [5,S,5/6] Several times the paper demands to make use of the house right against the AfD. Under German law organizers may exclude persons from an event. [5,S,7/11] Later it is also proposed to use political education to sabotage or suppress the election campaign of the AfD. This is also a break with the neutrality requirement of teachers. Under German law however parties are entitled to campaign. And lack of evidence for the allegations against the AfD and the presumption of innocence gives again reason to consider the Amadeu Antonio Foundation of being authoritarian and lacking pluralism. [5,S,11] Strangely the Amadeu Antonio Foundation recommends questioning facts and statistics. That's ironic. They seem not to seen or ignoring the contradictions in their own approaches. [5,S,9/10]
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation proposes to denounce the basic democratic consensus in Germany with the paper "Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD" (Demanding, clarifying, setting limits - recommendations for dealing with AfD). The methods are partly authoritarian and refuse those who think diffently the freedom of speech and assembly. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation regularly draws oversized strawmans to justify these deeds.
In the German-speaking area there is a big petition against the financing of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation:
https://www.change.org/p/bundesregierung-bundesministerium-f%C3%BCr-fsfj-keine-%C3%B6ffentliche-finanzierung-der-amadeu-antonio-stiftung/
[1] Richtlinie 1/76 zur Bearbeitung Operativer Vorgänge:
https://www.stasi-mediathek.de/fileadmin/pdf/dok540.pdf
[2] Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I:
http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1939&page=2362&size=45
[3] Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil II:
http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1943&page=281&size=45
[4] Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil III:
http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1944&page=129&size=45
[5] Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD:
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/afd-handreichung.pdf
[6] Birthler-Behörde ließ Stasi-Spitzel einladen 2007-09-25:
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article1212415/Birthler-Behoerde-liess-Stasi-Spitzel-einladen.html
[7] Eine Stasi-Debatte, die nicht beendet wurde 2003-04-02:
https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/eine-stasi-debatte--die-nicht-beendet-wurde-16532176
[8] Anetta Kahane de:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane
[9] Anetta Kahane en:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane
[10] Bundesmittel zur Bekämpfung des Extremismus 2018-03-21:
http://dipbt.bundestag.de/doc/btd/19/013/1901349.pdf
[11] https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/wir-ueber-uns/team/
But this approach is even older. Disintegration (Zersetzung) during the Weimar Republic was a strategic measure of psychological warfare to weaken the soldiers' morale. During the Nazi era the offense of Wehrkraftzersetzung (disintegration of the armed forces) was introduced. The Wehrkraftzersetzung consisted of conscientious objection against the military service, self-mutilation and the expression of doubts about the Wehrmacht and its leadership. Doubts could be those against the Nazi ideology, military orders or military reports. Actions or statements that could have called in question or harm the Wehrmacht and its leadership were therefore forbidden. [2] [3] [4]
In 2016 the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published the paper "Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD" (Demanding, clarifying, setting limits - recommendations for dealing with AfD). [5] The foundation was named after Amadeu Antonio Kiowa a victim of right-wing violence in Germany. The director of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is Anetta Kahane. Kahane was in the East-German-State an unofficial collaborators (IM Viktoria) of the Stasi. During her time as an unofficial collaborators she described Thomas and Klaus Brasch as "enemies of the state" in 1976. The program of Zersetzung of the government was then directed at Thomas Brasch until he committed suicide. [6] Kahane was early on in 2003 by Heidi-Knake Werner (Left Party then PDS). The Party wanted to make Kahane a representative for foreigners. [7] Striking is that her german Wikipedia article is significantly shorter than her english Wikipedia article. Her activity for the Stasi is only a small note in her german Wikipedia article. [8] [9]
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is funded by the German Federal Government. In response to a parliamentary inquiry the German government revealed that the Amadeu Antonio Foundation receives three million euros annually since 2010. The financing is justified by the fight against extremism. [10] According to own data however the Amadeu Antonio Foundation has only 15 employees. [11]
In the paper "Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD" (Demanding, clarifying, setting limits - recommendations for dealing with AfD) the Amadeu Antonio Foundation wants to provide suggestions to fight the AfD. Already in the foreword the AfD is set on a par with right-wing extremism. The German public debates is referred to as racist and sexist. In addition the Amadeu Antonio Foundation claims that the AfD is undemocratic. Sources for the allegations are not delivered. [5,S.3ff]
Teachers, journalists and politicians are encouraged to take action against the AfD. Journalists should report neutrally and teachers are even required under German law to teach neutral. Educators should for example address the antisemitism of the AfD. Sources for this claim are not provided. [5,S,4/6/10] The AfD is also accused of wanting to establish an authoritarian social order and to reject pluralism. Sources for this claim are not provided. In the absence of sources and the presumption of innocence however it must be assumed that the AfD is not guilty of this. Then however the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is authoritarian and against pluralism, if it wants to act against dissidents. [5,S,5/6] Several times the paper demands to make use of the house right against the AfD. Under German law organizers may exclude persons from an event. [5,S,7/11] Later it is also proposed to use political education to sabotage or suppress the election campaign of the AfD. This is also a break with the neutrality requirement of teachers. Under German law however parties are entitled to campaign. And lack of evidence for the allegations against the AfD and the presumption of innocence gives again reason to consider the Amadeu Antonio Foundation of being authoritarian and lacking pluralism. [5,S,11] Strangely the Amadeu Antonio Foundation recommends questioning facts and statistics. That's ironic. They seem not to seen or ignoring the contradictions in their own approaches. [5,S,9/10]
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation proposes to denounce the basic democratic consensus in Germany with the paper "Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD" (Demanding, clarifying, setting limits - recommendations for dealing with AfD). The methods are partly authoritarian and refuse those who think diffently the freedom of speech and assembly. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation regularly draws oversized strawmans to justify these deeds.
Wehret den Anfängen. (Resist the beginnings. )
German saying
In the German-speaking area there is a big petition against the financing of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation:
https://www.change.org/p/bundesregierung-bundesministerium-f%C3%BCr-fsfj-keine-%C3%B6ffentliche-finanzierung-der-amadeu-antonio-stiftung/
[1] Richtlinie 1/76 zur Bearbeitung Operativer Vorgänge:
https://www.stasi-mediathek.de/fileadmin/pdf/dok540.pdf
[2] Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I:
http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1939&page=2362&size=45
[3] Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil II:
http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1943&page=281&size=45
[4] Deutsches Reichsgesetzblatt Teil III:
http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=dra&datum=1944&page=129&size=45
[5] Nachfragen, Klarstellen, Grenzen setzen - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD:
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/afd-handreichung.pdf
[6] Birthler-Behörde ließ Stasi-Spitzel einladen 2007-09-25:
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article1212415/Birthler-Behoerde-liess-Stasi-Spitzel-einladen.html
[7] Eine Stasi-Debatte, die nicht beendet wurde 2003-04-02:
https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/eine-stasi-debatte--die-nicht-beendet-wurde-16532176
[8] Anetta Kahane de:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane
[9] Anetta Kahane en:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane
[10] Bundesmittel zur Bekämpfung des Extremismus 2018-03-21:
http://dipbt.bundestag.de/doc/btd/19/013/1901349.pdf
[11] https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/wir-ueber-uns/team/
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