Nazis out, Islamofascists in: German elites ok with that

After the Second World War, Germany passed strict laws against any attempt to overthrow the country’s constitutional order. At the same time, it adopted a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism.

Last week, however, the German state tolerated a rally that proclaimed both extreme antisemitism and the desire to topple German democracy.

The rally, which took place in Hamburg, was not organised by national socialists, but by a militant Islamist union. Of course, it is not OK to be a nazi – not in Germany, or anywhere else. But it appears that it is quite acceptable to be an Islamofascist – not just in Germany, but in most EU countries nowadays.

The rally called for the imposition of Sharia law and the establishment of a caliphate, but German Chancellor Scholz, who is also a former mayor of Hamburg, only reacted to the rally after severe public outcry. He did so in a mild, vague manner. So far nobody amongst the organisers has been arrested or prosecuted.

On the other hand, both the ruling socialist party and the German state have been very active in going after the AfD (Alternative for Germany), which steadily appears second in all polls ahead of June’s European Elections. Only during the last month, two senior AfD members have been brought to Justice.

In April, lawmaker Bjoern Hoecke, head of the AfD in the eastern state of Thuringia, appeared in court facing up to a year in jail for ending a campaign gathering in 2021 with the words “Everything for Germany.” It is a phrase that in the past had been used as a slogan by the SA, the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party.

Last week, a regional court in Lower Saxony convicted Rotenburg AfD leader Marie-Thérèse Kaiser for incitement to hatred. Her “hate crime” is that in 2021 she made mention of a “gang rape culture” amongst Afghans and posted state statistics showing that Afghans in Germany are particularly heavily involved in gang rape.

Kaiset was convicted according to the rationale of an EU Parliament’s 2024 resolution calling for hate speech to become an EU crime. “Those who attack human dignity cannot invoke freedom of speech,” her judge said. Interestingly enough, those are the exact words of the EU resolution’s rapporteur, Maite Gazapaurtundhua of Renew Europe.

The AfD has also found itself in the crosshairs of the German domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). In a longstanding legal feud, the agency has been trying for years to establish that the party is a far-right organisation.

Lately, there have also been calls to defund the AfD – based on a recent decision to do the same with the extreme-right Homeland (formerly called NPD). In fact, the establishment would like to do away with the second-largest German party altogether. In early 2024, the co-chief of the ruling SPD came out in favour of discussing an outright ban.

So, in Germany anti-constitutional rhetoric and groups are illegal, unless they are of Islamist origin, in which case nothing really happens. What is more, to sound the alarm over a demographic and cultural invasion that threatens the very cornerstones of Western societies is no longer allowed.

And what about the people? According to the latest Deutchlandstrend survey, 41 per cent of Germans believe that immigration, asylum, and integration policies pose the biggest challenge to the EU. Amongst others, they appear particularly concerned about the Islamist threat to women’s rights and freedom of expression.

Maybe Germany’s ruling elites should consider prosecuting half of the Germans too.

Wouldn’t this be very anti-nazi?