[Dossier] Amadeu Antonio Foundation

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Amadeu Antonio Foundation

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.

The AfD and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Chemnitz
Prohibition of Opposition
Accusations
legitimate Criticism

Go Die - Dare less Freedom of Expression with the Amadeu Antonio Foundation

False Claims
Insufficiencies in the Explanation
Reinterpretations
Recommendations for Action
The Ethic of Censorship

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation and the Zersetzung of adults

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.

Wehret den Anfängen. (Resist the beginnings. )
German saying

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation and the Zersetzung of children

If you have relatives from the former East-German-State then you probably know the stories about how your own population was spied on by the government. Visitors were checked at border crossings for hours until they were allowed to travel into the East-German-State to visit their relatives. In kindergartens children were ordered to paint the clock from the TV news to find out wether their parents were watching television from the West. And the Stasi fought unpleasant 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. [1]

In 2018 the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published the paper "Ene, mene, muh – und raus bist du! Ungleichwertigkeit und frühkindliche Pädagogik" (Ene, mene, muh - and out are you! Unequivalence and early childhood education). [2] 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 foreword to the paper Franziska Giffey (Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth) writes that ethnically, politically or religiously motivated violence should be avoided for the future by educating children. So far so good. Therefore the state must actively combat group-based hate. She claims that the German public debate is racist and sexist. And indeed the paper provides one legitimate example. The wife of the supporter of the NSU-complex Ralf Wohlleben was employed in a day care center. She herself was a member of the NPD and temporarily treasurer in the district of Jena. Since the NPD is classified as unconstitutional she was dismissed from her job. [2,S,5] This scenario is repeated later with Case IV.1-2. The name of the fictitious person and their function in the NPD have been changed. But the conditions are the same. [2,S,23ff] Another true but ridiculous example is number 4. In 2017 people complained because a children's playground was built with the theme of Ali Baba and his robbers. This example is based on facts but the subject is not worth talking about. The case did not harm anyone except the reputation of those who complained. [2,S,7/8]

However many of the outlined cases are pure straw mens or fake news. Already at the beginning it is warned that there is no early sexualization and the warnings of it are only propaganda. [2,S,4] In North Rhine-Westphalia however there was a scandal because terms such as darkroom, orgasm or SM should be portrayed by children via pantomime. In addition a play on the subject of anal sex should be performed. [9] In example 5 criticism of the paper "Murat spielt Prinzessin, Alex hat zwei Mütter und Sophie heißt jetzt Ben" (Murat plays Princess, Alex has two mothers and Sophie is now Ben) is criticized. Any criticism is presented as illegitimate and it is said to merely other motivations such as homophobia or misogyny. Sources for these claims are not provided. [2,S,8/9] However this paper de facto recommends to confront preschool children with sex education and meets all common points for criticism. It is based on the suppression of some genders and identities by other genders and identities. It glorifies long-lasting hormone treatments as well as sex changes for preschool children even though they are too young for such topics. [10] [11] After such events it is not surprising that parents are particularly skeptical. Case II.3 outlines such a scenario. Here a mother does not want her son to put on dressess and make-up. [2,S,19]

The paper "Ene, mene, muh" also contains misinformation. Example 2 is allegedly from a case in which parents have protested the recruitment of a Syrian refugee in a kindergarten in Lüneburg. The employment was thus allegedly prevented and is therefore a proof of racism. [2,S,5/6] But this is wrong. The employment failed because the applicant did not submit a police record as a proof of good conduct. [12] The paper contains various and sometimes absurd statements bur sources are almost never provided. Case I.2 outlines a scenario in which a child draws Nazi symbols, likes war and is conspicuously aggressive. In the absence of any sources or evidence however this case may be seen as a giant straw man. [2,S,11]

There are also several scenarios where facts are neglected. Case I.1 describes a child who is afraid of children of refugees. [2,S,10/11] Case II.2 outlines parents worried about the level of education when children of refugees come to school. [2,S,18] In case III.1 and case IV.3 educators are outlined who are worried about the idea that children of refugees come to school. [2,S,21/26] And in Case III.2 a teacher is critical or even prejudiced against the role models of other cultures. [2,S,23] However concerns are justified. The illiteracy rate in Syria is at 15 %, in Afghanistan at 62 %, in Eritrea at 35 % and in Iran at 13 %. The school enrollment rate is at 97 % in Syria, at 72 % in Afghanistan, at 39 % in Eritrea and at 99 % in Iran. [13,S.15,19,23,27,31] Non-German suspects are highly over-represented in criminal offenses. In murder the proportion of non-German suspects is at 37.3 % and in homicide and assisted suicide at 44.5 %. [14,S.19ff] The proportion of non-German suspects in general offenses against the right of sexual self-determination is at 28.7 %. In the case of sexual harassment (§ 184i StGB) the proportion of non-German suspects is at 45.9 % and for offenses from groups (§184J StGB) 82.1 %. [14,S.12] Support for corporal punishment for offenses such as Theft in Afghanistan is at 81 %, in Pakistan at 88 %, in Iraq at 56 % and in Egypt at 70 %. [15,S.52] And that a woman must always obey her husband believe 94 % in Afghanistan, 88 % in Pakistan, 92 % in Iraq and 85 % in Egypt. [15,S.93] But it is questionable why no additional and fitting educational institution are created. According to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation the consequences of the refugee crisis are to be dumped on the weakest and most defenseless. Only they should have solidary.

The paper also wants to go beyond the law. Example 3 describes how a writers collective has ruled out the NPD in the past because the NPD is classified as unconstitutional. Therefore the AfD should also be excluded from as many events as possible as it allegedly normalizes racist, antisemitic and anti-feminist positions. Sources for this claim are not provided. And the AfD is not classified as unconstitutional. [2,S,6/7] Case I.3 has already received considerable media attention.

In a daycare center two siblings stand out who are particularly reserved and have little to tell from home e.g. the weekend. So they behave silently and passively in the morning circle at the beginning of the week. At the same time there are no so-called discipline problems these children seem "obey" particularly good. In addition traditional gender roles are recognizable in the educational styles: The girl wears clothes and braids, it is taught handicrafts at home and the boy is strongly physically challenged and drilled. Both often come to the facility in the morning after having already completed a 1.5 km (1 mile) run.

Now the girl invites several other children from the kindergarten to the children's birthday party. Some parents whose children are invited know about the parents' affiliation in a right-wing extremist camaraderie and are worried about what might happen at the birthday party. At the same time they do not want to forbid their children to participate and thus to have the opportunity to be friends with the girl. They ask the educators for advice. [2,S,12ff]

Please note that there are no decisive misbehaviors of the parents or children are listed. The allegations are based solely on claims. Nevertheless it is assumed on the following pages that the children grow up in a far-right home. Therefore the well being of the childrens are at risk and a withdrawal of custody would be justified. This rough condemnation of harmless stereotypes is something the Amadeu Antonio Foundation shares with totalitarian and fascist societies. A similarly hasty judgment is applied in case II.1.

You are an educator in a daycare facility in rural areas. The parents' association is involved with a mother who moved into the village with her family a year and a half ago. She has worked to ensure that the playground in the village - long destroyed and hardly usable - is repaired and restored by the parents in a community action. She gathered many friends in the meantime. At the parents' meeting she raises the question of whether the group rooms should be repainted and in this context new pictures should be hung. She would like to hang up photos showing "our children". "Here we dont't have such children as shown in the current pictures anyway" she says. Many parents find this understandable including your colleague. [2,S,16/17]

Please note that here also no decisive misbehaviors of the parents listed. Nevertheless the authors are worried by the distinction of the children on the following pages. For all childless it should be mentioned here that parents like to have their own children on pictures. But the Amadeu Antonio Foundation makes this woman a potential criminal as well and moves her into the vicinity of the NPD.

Meanwhile the AfD calls for the defunding of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation and to end such programs in general. The AfD is also surprised that the federal government could not find any violation of neutrality by the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. [16]

In 1948 George Orwell wrote the book in 1984. At that time the book was synonymous with the failure of the socialist states. In 2018 the book is a synonym for the transformation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the new Socialist-Germany. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation has provided a clear example of this with the paper "Ene, mene, muh". And Anetta Kahane has proven that she can still deliver. The methods are partly authoritarian and as a justification for these deeds the foundation draws an oversized strawman.

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] Ene, mene, muh – und raus bist du! Ungleichwertigkeit und frühkindliche Pädagogik:
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/kita_internet_2018.pdf
[3] Birthler-Behörde ließ Stasi-Spitzel einladen 2007-09-25:
https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article1212415/Birthler-Behoerde-liess-Stasi-Spitzel-einladen.html
[4] Eine Stasi-Debatte, die nicht beendet wurde 2003-04-02:
https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/eine-stasi-debatte--die-nicht-beendet-wurde-16532176
[5] Anetta Kahane de:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane
[6] Anetta Kahane en:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anetta_Kahane
[7] Bundesmittel zur Bekämpfung des Extremismus 2018-03-21:
http://dipbt.bundestag.de/doc/btd/19/013/1901349.pdf
[8] https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/wir-ueber-uns/team/
[9] Kinder sollen Analsex in der Schule spielen 2016-06-19:
https://www.welt.de/regionales/nrw/article156317177/Kinder-sollen-Analsex-in-der-Schule-spielen.html [10] Berliner Senat verteilt Sex-Broschüre für Kita-Kinder 2018-02-16:
https://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin/kolumne/berliner-senat-verteilt-sex-broschuere-fuer-kita-kinder
[11] Murat spielt Prinzessin, Alex hat zwei Mütter und Sophie heißt jetzt Ben:
https://www.queerformat.de/wp-content/uploads/QF-Kita-Handreichung-2018-Druckfassung.pdf
[12] Kindergarten stellt Syrer nach Elternprotesten nicht ein 2016-01-29:
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/diskriminierung-kindergarten-beruhigt-eltern-syrer-wird-nicht-beschaeftigt-1.2840500
[13] Bildung und Ausbildung in den Hauptherkunftsländern 2017-12-21:
https://www.iwkoeln.de/studien/iw-reports/beitrag/kristina-stoewe-bildung-und-ausbildung-in-den-hauptherkunftslaendern.html
[14] "PKS 2017 - Jahrbuch Band 4 - Einzelne Straftaten:
https://www.bka.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Publikationen/PolizeilicheKriminalstatistik/2017/pks2017Jahrbuch4Einzelne.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=5
[15] pew research - The Worlds Muslims (2013) 2013-04-30:
http://www.pewforum.org/files/2013/04/worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-full-report.pdf
[16] Brandner: Bundesregierung fördert linksradikale Agitation in Kindergärten – das ist politischer Kindermissbrauch und untragbar! 2018-11-26:
https://www.afdbundestag.de/brandner-bundesregierung-foerdert-linksradikale-agitation-in-kindergaerten-das-ist-politischer-kindermissbrauch-und-untragbar/

Democracy at Risk - Dare less Democracy with the Amadeu Antonio Foundation

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.

The AfD and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Chemnitz
Prohibition of Opposition
Accusations
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

Go Die - Dare less Freedom of Expression with the Amadeu Antonio Foundation

Openly expressed racism or group-related hatred are of course to be condemned. However freedom of expression as a necessary condition for a democracy and must be guaranteed. In 2015 the Amadeu Antonio Foundation published the paper ">>Go to Die<< - Dealing with Hate Speech and Comments on the Internet".

False Claims
Insufficiencies in the Explanation
Reinterpretations
Recommendations for Action
The Ethic of Censorship

False Claims

Verifiable statements in the paper are rare. However the first verifiable statement that exists is already false. In the preface the then Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas (SPD) claims that the rise in attacks on refugee shelters can be traced back to intellectual arson.

The sudden increase in attacks on refugee accommodation shows that "intellectual arson" far too often turns into violence: In 2014 the number of crimes tripled compared to the previous year.

Dass aus »geistiger Brandstiftung« viel zu oft Gewalt wird, zeigt der sprunghafte Anstieg von Angriffen auf Flüchtlingsunterkünfte: Im Jahr 2014 hat sich die Zahl der Taten im Vergleich zum Vorjahr verdreifacht.

Heiko Maas (SPD), damals Bundesjustizminister [1,p.5]

In fact a total of 1,248 fire incidents in refugee accommodation were recorded in 2015 and 2016. Evidently 24% of this is attributable to third parties and 46% to the residents e.g. due to errors in the operation of kitchen appliances while the rest was not cleared up. However it remains to be seen what is hidden behind the unresolved cases. [2] [3]

Insufficiencies in the Explanation

In the paper it is openly admitted that what hate speech actually is remains disputed. Furthermore there would be neither a fixed definition nor a catalog of words for hate speech. Hate speech is a political term and depends on the context. [1,p.9-10] [1,p.13] It is even admitted that one cannot legally limit oneself to hate speech and that German law does not include hate speech. [1,p.33]

In contrast to specific criminal offenses, no common denominator is provided. This raises the question of how something that is not clearly defined ist to be regulated. If something is regulated without a clear definition, the regulation is inevitably subject to the convictions or political classification of those who make the decisions. And judgments depend on the political balance of power.

Reinterpretations

What is striking about the paper is that hate speech is never clearly defined. Instead various reinterpretations are used. For example the monopoly of the interpretation is granted exclusively to the declared victims and their subjective perception. [1,p.10-11] The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is already relying on the fact that there is an intellectual competition. However no social debate or a competition of ideas is outlined here.

Als Grundlage einer Definition ist die Betroffenenperspektive besser geeignet als die Intention des Sprechenden.

The perspective of the affected person is more suitable as a basis for a definition than the intention of the speaker. [1,p.10]

In the paper from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation racism is differentiated according to victims rather than its dynamics. [1,p.14] This reveals the double standards of the victim hierarchy. Future negative developments are ignored or not taken into account.

Hate Speech funktioniert nur, wenn sie eine kollektiv verankerte Abwertung anspricht und in Einklang mit gesellschaftlicher Diskriminierung steht. Rassismus gegen Weiße zum Beispiel kann situativ stattfinden, hat jedoch keine gesellschaftliche Dimension. Entsprechend fallen abwertende Aussagen über Weiße (z.B. »Kartoffel«) nicht unter Hate Speech, da ihnen schlicht die gesellschaftlichen Konsequenzen fehlen.

Hate speech only works if it addresses a collectively anchored devaluation and is in harmony with social discrimination. Racism against whites for example can take place situationally but has no social dimension. Correspondingly derogatory statements about whites (e.g. "potatoes") do not fall under hate speech as they simply lack the social consequences. [1,p.14]

Furthermore it is generally assumed that the cases are solely on purpose. [1,p.19] Negligence and even misunderstandings are ruled out and intent is assumed. However no evidence of this organization or planning is presented.

Es handelt sich eben nicht um randomisierte Vorkommnisse, sondern vielmehr um organisierte und geplante Aktionen.

It is not a matter of randomized occurrences but rather of organized and planned actions. [1,p.19]

Recommendations for Action

When dealing with hate speech the Amadeu Antonio Foundation makes recommendations on what to do and what not to do. Allegedly wrong posts should be deleted because moderating or debating is not classified as effective. Journalists should also show their attitude and make fun of the authors of the supposedly false articles. [1,p.22]

On the other hand there is occasional legitimate criticism e.g. if the authors of group-related enmity are classified as a loud minority. [1,p.24] In addition the publication of private data, such as Residential addresses, photos or bank details condemned. [1,p.26]

The Ethic of Censorship

To be against group-related human hatred is in the first approximation correct. However measures should not limit potential criticism and thus freedom of expression. Freedom of expression and democracy go hand in hand. For the free competition of ideas the possibility to get to know information and ideas and to be heard is by definition indispensable. Exceptions are the call for crimes and appeals that can disturb public peace such as the false warning of fire in cramped rooms. Everything else would be a some sort of dictatorship.

Censorship of hatred would require people or rules from people who distinguish hatred from criticism. In any case it would be people to differentiate. Hate and criticism however have a common intersection of interpretation depending on one's own position. In addition it is not yet clear whether the statement or the position of the addressed person is questionable or illegitimate. Thus a censorship would again be a projection of power even if it was driven by morality.

In addition a restriction of freedom of expression threatens a deradicalising dialogue and the visibility of illegal illegal expressions. One does not do justice to the meaning of the free democratic basic order and the possibility of free exchange without freedom of expression. And the rules of this exchange are determined by the legislature. For this most states require freedom of expression. In addition there are already paragraphs in the Penal Codes against the public call for crimes. [4]

[1] >>Geh Sterben<< - Umgang mit Hate Speech und Kommentaren im Internet
https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/hatespeech.pdf
[2] Brandstatistik Flüchtlingsunterkünfte - Eine erste Bilanz - 2017-01-13
http://www.inuri.de/210-brandstatistik-fluechtlingsunterkuenfte-erste-bilanz.html
[3] Die meisten Flüchtlingsheime werden von Bewohnern angezündet. Oder nicht? | reporter - 2017-01-18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eXEZrPIXts
[4] Strafgesetzbuch Art 111
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__111.html/

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