patrick.net

Alice Weidel’s speech in the German Bundestag yesterday was a fiery critique of the political establishment. Her main points for those who don't speak German:

Criticism of Open Border Policies: Weidel argued that maintaining open borders is not only extremist but also a deliberate policy that undermines Germany’s sovereignty and security. She claimed that unchecked immigration has led to increased crime and social instability, echoing her earlier speeches where she described Germany as being "held hostage by Arab and African criminals" involved in activities like human trafficking, drugs, and violence. She reiterated her call for closing borders and deporting illegal migrants without exception.

Rejection of Corona Measures as Tyrannical: Weidel labeled the government’s handling of COVID-19 measures as fearmongering and authoritarian, accusing politicians of using the pandemic to justify excessive control over citizens’ lives. She suggested these measures were less about public health and more about consolidating power, a sentiment that resonates with AfD’s broader narrative of distrust in state institutions.

Defense of Free Speech and Democracy: Weidel framed the AfD as a defender of democratic values, arguing that the real threat to democracy comes from mainstream parties that suppress dissent and marginalize her party. She specifically cited the “firewall” (the political consensus among mainstream parties to exclude AfD from cooperation) as an “anti-democratic cartel agreement” that disenfranchises millions of voters. She referenced US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments to bolster her point, noting his criticism of Germany’s establishment for labeling AfD as extremist while pursuing policies she deems harmful.

Attack on the Establishment’s Hypocrisy: Weidel accused mainstream parties, particularly the Social Democrats (SPD) and Christian Democrats (CDU), of projecting their own failures onto the AfD. She claimed they brand her party as extremist to distract from their own policies, which she described as destructive to Germany’s economy, culture, and national identity.

Appeal to German Identity: In her speech, Weidel positioned the AfD as the protector of “German identity,” a recurring theme in her speech. She argued that policies like open borders and “queer-woke insanity” erode traditional German values. She called for a return to policies that prioritize native Germans, including stricter immigration controls and a rejection of multiculturalism, which she sees as a failed experiment.

Because the oligarchy aims above all to stay in power, a great part of politics involves the struggle of the reigning oligarchy to maintain their position and fend off incursions from the outside. These struggles are often camouflaged as disagreements over specific policies or as moral outrage over ostensibly impermissible political views. The entire German elite establishment, for example, claims to hate Alternative für Deutschland because of their alleged fascism. In fact, their real quarrel with the AfD is that their very existence and the reforms they demand threaten the oligarchy’s hold on power. Once upon a time, in the earliest years of the Federal Republic, there really was substantial overlap between those whose views might have fairly been called fascist (in some sense of the term) and potential rivals to power. Now the rivals have totally different political views but they must be forced into the fascist mould anyway, because “fascism” for our oligarchy has come to mean “unwelcome upstart.”