[Domestic Policy] Democracy at Risk - Dare less Democracy with the Amadeu Antonio Foundation 2021-04-17

Shortly before the state elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published a so-called instruction against the AfD. The paper with its 80-page has the inconspicuous name "Democracy in Danger. Recommendations for Dealing with the AfD". In terms of content this is a direct intervention in the election campaign by a state-sponsored institution. In addition the paper is explicitly directed against one opposition party and not against certain dynamics or certain parts of the political spectrum. Thus the paper can be seen as a partisan intervention.

1. The AfD and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution
2. Chemnitz
3. Prohibition of Opposition
4. Accusations
5. legitimate Criticism

The AfD and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Right from the start the Amadeu Antonio Foundation complains that the AfD has continuously radicalized and disinhibited itself since its foundation. This is allegedly so obvious that it does not require the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution / domestic intelligence agency (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution) for this assesment. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is alluding to the classification of the AfD as a test case. [1,p.4]

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) has announced that the AfD will be considered as a whole party as a test case also in 2019. In addition the youth organization of the AfD Young Alternative (Junge Alternative) and the sub-organization The Wing (Der Flügel) were declared as suspected cases. This also means that according to this point in time the conditions for the observation of the AfD are not met.

In the case of a test case only publicly accessible sources such as e.g. party programs, flyers or social media can used. The next stage is the suspected case. In the case of suspected case the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) additionally uses information from authorities and it is possible to observe individuals. Intelligence agents such as intercepting or the use of informants can not be used in either case until the suspicions have been substantiated. [2] [3]

The newspapers Süddeutsche Zeitung and Focus quoted from a confidential report as the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution/domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) about the classification of the AfD. In the case of a test case only publicly accessible sources such as e.g. party programs, flyers or social media can used. This report was repeatedly based on information provided by Antifa. Thereafter the youth organization Junge Alternative supposedly has links to supposedly right-wing extremist student fraternities. Also cited is the call to go for a citizenship law by descent as applied in e.g. Israel and Hungary. In addition allegedly four former members of the now defunct and supposedly right-wing extremist party Bürgerbewegung Pro Deutschland (Civic Movement Pro Germany) are active in the AfD in Berlin. [4] [5]

This alleged informations are questionable for several reasons. An anonymous and unofficial group of people can not be held accountable, if they violate data protection and erasure regulations. In addition their information is not always verifiable or reliable. So they can not serve as clues but not as sufficient evidence. But it is particularly interesting that Maaßen has already stated exactly this. Maassen has claimed that left-wing extremist forces in the co-governing SPD are active and have brought him down. [6] [7] [7]

Chemnitz

On August 25, 2018 one man was murdered in Chemnitz and two others were injured. According to the police the three victims were attacked without any need for self-defense. [9] [10] Several days after the murder there were demonstrations and the federal government spoke of manhunts on foreigners and gatherings (Zusammenrottungen) that were not to be tolerated. [11]

And on September 7, the president of the domestic intelligence service (Bundesamts für Verfassungsschutz) Hans-Georg Maaßen objected. [12] Maaßen was then questioned by various politicians. [13] According to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation the demonstrations were a declaration of war on the plural democracy. [1,p.4]

Meanwhile however a parliamentary request was published which unmask the statements of the Federal Government after August 25, 2018. On March 20, 2019 the federal government responded to a parliamentary inquiry about what knowledge they had about the events after August 25, 2018 in Chemnitz. [14,p.3] In it the federal government confesses that they had no evidence for alleged manhunts in Chemnitz. The statements about supposed manhunts in Chemnitz were based on the media coverage. The Federal Government has therefore admitted that they had no own findings or a situational report from authorities. [14,p.4]

According to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation the reaction to the criminal offenses was based solely on the origin of the accused. [1,p.10] The Amadeu Antonio Foundation however withholds the statistical distribution of the perpetrators. Of the 247,422 people with their primary residence in Chemnitz only 18,721 (7.6 %) were non-German nationals as of December 31, 2017. [15] In Chemnitz in 2017 from 618 suspects for violent crimes 281 (45.5 %) were non-German citizens. [16,R13995] Thus non-German nationals are overrepresented by a factor of 6. The number of acts of violence among right-wing extremist criminals in Chemnitz was 6 in 2017. [17,S.106]

On December 3, the Center for Political Beauty (Zentrum für politische Schönheit/ZPS) published the project Soko Chemnitz. The goal was to identify those who demonstrated in Chemnitz after the murder of Daniel H. and to report them to their employers. The goal was to make the suspects lose their jobs. The ZPS demanded directly to denounce colleagues, neighbors and acquaintances. [18] [19]

The ZPS justifies its actions by saying that criticism of immigration is illegitimate and that the AfD is undemocratic. Unspoken it is assumed that the demonstrators are voters of the AfD. Thus the ZPS builds up an oversized straw man to justify his own deeds. [20] The Amadeu Antonio Foundation however completely conceals these events.

Prohibition of Opposition

Furthermore the Amadeu Antonio Foundation equates the AfD's opposition in its points with a violation of the Basic Law (de facto constitution) and parliamentarianism. In the absence of an explanation as to why these points go against the Basic Law (de facto constitution) and parliamentarism this behavior amounts to prohibiting an opposition.

Dies ist nicht nur ein Kampf gegen den Euro, Migration, Flüchtlinge und ein plurales Familien- und Geschlechterverständnis, sondern ein Kampf gegen das "Establishment", das "System" und "die da oben" - und damit gegen das parlamentarische System, das Grundgesetz und die bestehende staatliche Verfasstheit.

This is not just a fight against the euro, migration, refugees and a pluralistic understanding of families and genders, but a fight against the "establishment", the "system" and "those at the top" - and thus against the parliamentary system, the Basic Law and the existing state constitution. [1,p.4]

In response according to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation the Democrats are joining forces against the AfD. Here the AfD is denied to be democratic. [1, p.5]

Accusations

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation makes various allegations against the AfD as well as its claims and statements which are either without evidence or are misinterpreted. An ethnic culture war with the goal of an authoritarian system is waged. And the purpose is that there shall no longer be a civil society and that society receives strict guidelines from the state. [1,p.15] The AfD is not a completely normal party and would evade the rules of democratic discourse. And that's why the AfD shouldn't be treated that way by the press. The reporting should reflect this and not report neutrally about the AfD. [1,p.19] Then the AfD is very often accused of homophobia and hostility towards trans-people. [1,p.4] [1,p.11] [1,p.14] [1,p.48] [1,p.52] [1,p.58] [1,p.67] [1,p.77] On the one hand a parliamentary inquiry about the number of non-heterosexual people and the number of attacks on them is criticized. However the inquiry does not offer any clear reason to believe that it was made with bad intent. [1,p.21] [20] The AfD is avowedly against the fact that children are raised alone and that non heterosexual lifestyles are propagated. The AfD is accused of this. [1,p.49] [21,p.38] [21,p.40]

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation's paper says that the AfD is spreading a fairy tale with the declaration of the illegal opening of the border in 2015. According to the AfD but not according to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation this was a decision by Chancellor Angela Merkels (CDU). And according to the AfD but not according to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation this is a violation of the EU's Dublin Agreement. [1,p.22ff] From January to September 2015 and in the wake of the migration crisis UNHCR financial assistance was much lower than necessary and much lower than in the previous year. [23] [23,archive] [24] [25] In November 2015 the then head Antonio Guterres reported that the resources of the UNHCR were no longer sufficient. By November 2015 only 37% of the money requested for care had been transferred. As a result food vouchers for 211,000 people in Jordan and 638,000 in Lebanon were halved. According to Guterres that is how the migration crisis of 2015 was triggered by the lack of humanitarian money. [26] [27] [28] [29] [29,archive] [30]

In addition to this came that the German federal government terminated the Dublin agreement with special trains. According to the Dublin agreement asylum seekers must apply for asylum in the EU member state where they enter the EU for the first time. In 2015 the German Federal Government used special trains to bring asylum seekers from other EU member states to Germany. In addition the German government has signaled to people who have not yet come to Europe that they do not have to stay in the first EU member state. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] This policy continues even after that since no deportations to Syria take place. The German Federal Government is still opposed to deportations to Syria. This is justified by the situation of human rights in Syria. [36] [38]

Furthermore the AfD is accused of spreading false statements about demographic developments. [1, p.23ff] But in Germany in 2016 9.2 million people or 11.2 percent of the population had a foreign citizenship. With 70 percent most of them came from Europe. The largest groups were Turkish with 15 percent, Polish with 8 percent, Syrian with 6 percent, Italian with 6 percent and Romanian nationals with 5 percent. In total the number of people with a migration background in Germany in 2016 was around 18.6 million. Of these, 2.3 million people in Germany have their roots in the Near and Middle East and 740,000 are of African descent. And the trend is rising. [38]

legitimate Criticism

Legitimate criticism in the paper of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation is the criticism of the AfD's strategy of indignation and the change in what can be said publicly. The AfD changes what can be said publicly by announcing previously unaccepted statements increasingly clearly and in varying degrees of strength. It has a wide range of staff available for this purpose. [1,p.15] [1,p.18ff]

In order to be heard in the media pointed and sometimes provocative statements are essential for the AfD. They give the AfD the necessary attention and the media time window to present their demands in more detail. And as proof of the intention of this strategy the paper cites an AfD internal email in which this is admitted. [1,p.8] [1,p.18ff]

[1] Demokratie in Gefahr. - Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit der AfD 2019
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/publikationen/demokratie-in-gefahr/
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/AFD_Handreichung_web.pdf
[2] Fachinformation zur Partei ?Alternative für Deutschland? (AfD)
https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/aktuelles/zur-sache/zs-2019-001-fachinformation-zur-partei-alternative-fuer-deutschland-afd?pk_campaign=RSS-Feed
[3] Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) gibt das Prüfergebnis zu der Partei ?Alternative für Deutschland? (AfD) bekannt 2019-01-15
https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/presse/pm-20190115-pruefergebnis-zur-partei-alternative-fuer-deutschland-afd?pk_campaign=RSS-Feed
[4] Verfassungsschützer nutzten für AfD-Gutachten auch Antifa-Recherchen 2019-01-21
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/verfassungsschuetzer-nutzen-antifa-recherchen-fuer-afd-gutachten-1.4296184
[5] AfD-Gutachten - Verfassungsschützer greifen auf Antifa-Recherchen zurück 2019-01-21
https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/afd-gutachten-verfassungsschuetzer-greifen-auf-antifa-recherchen-zurueck_id_10212385.html?fbclid=IwAR1r8DLf9gsVUO21QXxijKq5Y2wTCGtsdbeW2OuvMxzfZ_Iv9hCgKkFTVL8
[6] Hans-Georg Maaßen: Das Unwesen im Verborgenen 2018-11-08
https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2018-11/hans-georg-maassen-rede-verfassungsschutz-chemnitz-linksradikale-verschwoerung
[7] Maaßen-Rede vor ?Berner Club? - ?Linksradikale Kräfte in der SPD wollten Koalitionsbruch provozieren? 2018-11-05
http://www.fr.de/politik/maassen-rede-vor-berner-club-linksradikale-kraefte-in-der-spd-wollten-koalitionsbruch-provozieren-a-1614783
[8] SEEHOFER RÜGTE ?INAKZEPTABLE ÄUSSERUNGEN? - ?Linksradikale Kräfte? und ?naive Politik?: Maaßens umstrittene Rede im Wortlaut 2018-11-15
https://www.merkur.de/politik/linksradikale-kraefte-und-naive-politik-maassens-umstrittenes-rede-manuskript-im-wortlaut-zr-10494978.html
[9] Faktencheck zu Chemnitzer Todesfall: Täter handelten nicht in Notwehr 2018-08-28
http://www.lvz.de/Region/Polizeiticker/Chemnitz-Polizei-dementiert-Geruechte-ueber-zweites-Todesopfer
[10] Tatverdächtige der Messerattacke in Chemnitz beantragen Haftprüfung 2018-09-14
https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/chemnitz/chemnitz-stollberg/inhaftierter-chemnitz-tatbeteiligung-messerattacke-100.html
[111] Der schwarze Sonntag von Chemnitz: Messerstecherei, Hetzjagd, Kontrollverlust 2018-08-28
https://www.nzz.ch/international/chemnitz-messerstecherei-hetzjagd-kontrollverlust-ld.1415023
[12] Maaßen sieht keine Beweise für Hetzjagd in Chemnitz 2018-09-07
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/hans-georg-maassen-sieht-keine-beweise-fuer-hetzjagd-in-chemnitz-a-1226949.html
[13] Keine Informationen über Hetzjagden auf Ausländer in Chemnitz 2018-09-07
https://www.welt.de/politik/article181449460/Verfassungsschutzpraesident-Keine-Informationen-ueber-Hetzjagden-auf-Auslaender-in-Chemnitz.html
[14] Drucksache 19/4313 - Antwort der Bundesregierung- Vermeintliche ?Hetzjagden? in Chemnitz am 26. August 2018 2019-03-20
https://kleineanfragen.de/bundestag/19/8570-vermeintliche-hetzjagden-in-chemnitz-am-26-august-2018
http://dipbt.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/19/085/1908570.pdf
[15] Bevölkerung der Stadt wächst auch im Jahr 2017 2018-01-23
https://www.chemnitz.de/chemnitz/de/aktuell/presse/pressemitteilungen/2018/49.html
[16] Grundtabelle - Kreise - ausgewählte Straftaten/-gruppen 2018-05-08
https://www.bka.de/DE/AktuelleInformationen/StatistikenLagebilder/PolizeilicheKriminalstatistik/PKS2017/BKATabellen/bkaTabellenLaenderKreiseStaedteFaelle.html;jsessionid=6CE67EE745DA2CCBE1578BC547EF6EDA.live2292?nn=96600
[17] Sächsischer Verfassungsschutzbericht 2017
http://www.verfassungsschutz.sachsen.de/download/VSB2017_webversion.pdf
[18] Online-Pranger zum Mitmachen 2018-12-03
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/zentrum-politische-schoenheit-chemnitz-1.4237167
[19] Heftiger Streit um Online-Pranger 2018-12-04
http://www.taz.de/Zentrum-fuer-Politische-Schoenheit/!5556526/
[20] Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten Herold (AfD) - Lesbische, Schwule, Bisexuelle, Transsexuelle und Intersexuelle (LSBTI) in Thüringen 2015-09-01
http://www.parldok.thueringen.de/ParlDok/dokument/55755/lesbische-schwule-bisexuelle-transsexuelle-und-intersexuelle-lsbti-in-th%C3%BCringen.pdf
[21] Bundestagswahlprogramm der AfD 2017
https://www.afd.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/111/2017/06/2017-06-01_AfD-Bundestagswahlprogramm_Onlinefassung.pdf
[22] Wo der Staat versagt, muss die Zivilgesellschaft ran 2018-12-04
http://www.fr.de/kultur/soko-chemnitz-wo-der-staat-versagt-muss-die-zivilgesellschaft-ran-a-1632626,0#artpager-1632626-1
[23] Deutschland stellte Rekordsumme für UNHCR-Hilfsprogramme bereit 2015-01-30
http://www.unhcr.de/home/artikel/44f2233fb647dece70b70049fbaa8241/deutschland-stellte-rekordsumme-fuer-unhcr-hilfsprogramme-bereit.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20151221114646/http://www.unhcr.de/home/artikel/44f2233fb647dece70b70049fbaa8241/deutschland-stellte-rekordsumme-fuer-unhcr-hilfsprogramme-bereit.html
[24] Funding shortage leaves Syrian refugees in danger of missing vital support 2015-06-25
https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2015/6/558acbbc6/funding-shortage-leaves-syrian-refugees-danger-missing-vital-support.html
[25] UN agency forced to cut food aid to 229,000 Syrian refugees 2015-09-04
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/9/4/un-agency-forced-to-cut-food-aid-to-229000-syrian-refugees.html
[26] UN alarmed by Swedish development aid cuts 2015-09-12
https://www.thelocal.se/20151112/un-alarmed-by-swedish-development-aid-cuts
[27] Im Nahen Osten fehlen die Mittel 2015-09-17
https://orf.at/v2/stories/2299192/2299122/
[28] U.N. Funding Shortfalls and Cuts in Refugee Aid Fuel Exodus to Europe 2015-09-19
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/world/un-funding-shortfalls-and-cuts-in-refugee-aid-fuel-exodus-to-europe.html
[29] Guterres - Mangel an humanitären Mitteln hat Flüchtlingskrise ausgelöst 2015-11-04
http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/guterres-mangel-an-humanitaeren-mitteln-hat.447.de.html?drn:news_id=542922
http://archive.vn/20151105053103/http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/guterres-mangel-an-humanitaeren-mitteln-hat.447.de.html
[30] UN alarmed by Denmark development aid cuts 2015-11-12
https://www.thelocal.dk/20151112/un-alarmed-by-denmarks-aid-cuts-to-pay-for-refugees
[31] ÜBEREINKOMMEN - über die Bestimmung des zuständigen Staates für die Prüfung eines in einem Mitgliedstaat der Europäischen Gemeinschaften gestellten Asylantrags
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:41997A0819(01)
[32] Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Art 16a
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_16a.html
[33] Dublin-Verfahren ausgesetzt - Syrien-Flüchtlinge dürfen in Deutschland bleiben 2015-08-25
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/syrien-fluechtlinge-deutschland-setzt-dublin-verfahren-aus-a-1049639.html
[34] Plan der Bundesregierung - Sonderzüge sollen Flüchtlinge aus Österreich abholen 2015-09-28
https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/sonderzuege-sollen-fluechtlinge-aus-oesterreich-abholen-a-1055139.html
[35] Passau - Über 100.000 Flüchtlinge in drei Wochen eingereist 2015-10-19
https://www.pnp.de/lokales/stadt_und_landkreis_passau/passau_stadt/1843392_Ueber-100.000-Fluechtlinge-in-drei-Wochen-eingereist.html
[36] Seehofer gegen Abschiebungen nach Syrien 2018-11-23
https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/abschiebungen-syrien-105.html
[37] Deutsche Botschaft Damaskus
https://damaskus.diplo.de/Vertretung/damaskus/de/Schliessung__Botschaft__19.Jan12.html
[38] Migration in Zeiten des demografischen Wandels
https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/_Querschnitt/DemografischerWandel/DemMigration.html