Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called anti-semitism seismographic “for the state of our democracy” one year after the 2019 attack on a synagogue in Halle. A stout door had prevented a massacre at the time, leading to the frustrated attacker killing two others. President Steinmeier called the multitude of antisemitic incidents since 1945 a list of disgrace, an attack on tolerance and human dignity.
On the same occasion Thomas Haldenwang, president of the Protection of the Constitution spoke about a steep rise of Antisemitism in Germany. During the past two years the number of criminal acts against Jews and Jewish structures had increased significantly.
The Halle suspect is currently on trial. President Steinmeier had been speaking shortly after a devastating incident on the 4th of October in Hamburg, when a man in military-style garb severely injured a Jewish student with a shovel, who was about to enter a synagogue.
Last February nine persons of Turkish origin were murdered, in Hanau and others injured by a 43 year old perpetrator, who then shot his mother and himself. A confession was found expressing rightwing views.
Hanau and Halle have become symbols of racism in Germany that was never fully eliminated after the end of World War II. How could it have been? Once genocide and other crimes had been revealed, a conspiracy of silence had followed – due to shame or guilt? – as well as the continued presence of Nazis also in the civil service and education, while others had been allowed to escape. The 1946 Nuremberg trial of Major War Criminals was regarded as the victors’ revenge. Even the rebellious 1968 generation had failed to probe events within their own families, and where students demonstrated against lacking ‘denazification’ in public service, a number of them were punished by being denied access to that very same civil service.
Despite Germany’s compensation and its “remembrance culture” second to none, these did not stimulate a national debate of cause and guilt. The founding and support of small anti-democratic groups and parties continued. This foreshadowed the current right-wing to far right “Alternative for Germany” party (AFD) with its popular support, in the wake of the heartwarming 2015 Welcome for Refugees and Chancellor Merkel’s encouraging “wir schaffen das” – we’ll cope with that.
The racist poison spewed since the founding of this party has changed politics in tone and action. No wonder that Haldenwang considers Jewish fears justified or that some Jews may be thinking of packing their proverbial suitcases.
Let us develop the antidote to that poison – truth and enlightenment.