The populist wave does not catch on in Germany

Thanks to the controversial book author, Thilo Sarrazin, a discussion on failed integration policies and fear of foreign infiltration has taken-off in Germany. Despite losing his job as Chairman of the German Federal Bank, Sarrazin’s thesis on the integration willingness of Muslims and on alleged Jewish genes, found a wide echo. According to a recent Forsa-survey, published weekly by the Stern magazine and the TV channel, RTL, 61% Germans agreed with some of his views, 9% even fully supported them.

According to an Emnid survey commissioned by the conservative German weekly Sunday paper, Bild am Sonntag, Sarrazin also received high approval numbers for his theories. The survey revealed that 18% of all German citizens would vote for a new right-wing party, if led by Thilo Sarrazin.

The fear of competition from the right-wing increases amongst the conservative German Christian Democrats (CDU). Some conservatives believe that the party has given up the traditional family concept and follows a more liberal immigration policy than in the past. Angela Merkel would also not represent the classic role model of a leader of the conservative party.

Some of the most conservative fringes try to benefit from the current mood in Germany. Thus, the former CDU-parliamentarian in Berlin, René Stadtkewitz is trying to become the new Geert Wilders. Both the Dutch right-wing demagogue, Wilders and Stadtkewitz are radical deniers of the Islam and strong critics of immigration policy. The name of the party “The Freedom”, which Stadtkewitz wants to found by the end of the year is also copied from the Dutch model “Party for Freedom”.

In the past all attempts to establish a conservative splitting-off from the CDU failed in Germany. Neither the Republicans in the 80s nor the party of the former Interior senator in Hamburg, Ronald Schill put the Christian Democrats permanently at risk.

Stadtkewitz’s project also does not appear to seriously endanger the CDU. One of his combatant is a former board member of the ‘Pirate Party’; Stadtkewitz was asked to resign from the Berlin Parlament after he refused to take back an invitation to Wilders.

The historian and author, Frank Boesch believes that the pulling power of agitators, such as Sarrazin and Stadtkewitz is overestimated. He said that according to several representative surveys most Germans were in fact politically oriented in the middle.

“The majority of the German population is not interested in positioning itself on the political fringe.”

Right-wing parties in Europe such as the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) in Austria, or the Danish and Dutch right-wing demagogues were national liberal split-offs, which means they are based on an existing milieu, Boesch said. “Those parties did not just appear from nowhere with some random personalities at their top but are grown movements and associations.”

In Germany the organizational foundation for these right-wing parties is missing, a grown party structure does not exist. Without such structure a new right-wing party would be a flash in the pan.