Firewall against the far-right in Germany

See also: Cordon sanitaire (politics) § Germany
See also: Radical right (Europe)
The term "firewall" is used as a metaphor in this article, for disambiguation of the term, see Firewall.

The concept of the "firewall against the far-right" in Germany represents a strategic approach and political demand within civil society and political circles. It focuses on the dynamics between mainstream political parties and far-right entities such as the AfD and Die Heimat (formerly NPD).[1][2][3] The primary objective is to prevent mainstream parties from endorsing anti-democratic elements and to discourage alignment with or rapproachment towards far-right ideologies, advocating instead for a policy of non-cooperation with these parties.

The term "firewall against the far-right" is used as slogan (in German: "Wir sind die Brandmauer!")[4] in public debates concerning the appropriate response of political actors to the uprising right-wing populist, antidemocratic and far-right tendencies in Germany. The widespread anti-extremism protests in 2024,[5] which drew hundreds of thousands protesters, have intensified the public discourse on how to effectively uphold this firewall.[6] Protesters have made historical comparisons to Nazi Germany, particularly the Nazi seizure of power, emphasizing their current call for a firewall against the far-right with the slogan "Never again is now." (German: "Nie wieder ist jetzt!").[7][8][9] Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius (SPD) echoed these concerns, cautioning against a repeat of history by highlighting the dangers of weak public support for democracy during the late Weimar Republic.[10]

Regarding current political strategies, some members of the German parliament from the CDU have proposed "taking away the topics of the AfD" to diminish its influence effectively.[11][12] However, recent research by political scientists indicates that accommodating and adopting typical far-right themes does not diminish support for radical right parties (RRP). On the contrary, scholars have found that RRP can benefit when mainstream parties make far-right framings appear socially acceptable, thereby legitimizing controversial statements.[13][14]

The debate on non-cooperation with far-right German parties is also influenced by discussions on how to manage far-right parties at the European level following the 2024 European Parliament elections,[15][16][17][18] particularly in light of the rise of far-right parties gaining governmental influence.

  1. ^ "Germany's far-right 'firewall' cracks". POLITICO. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  2. ^ "Die Brandmauer zur AfD hat viele Löcher – DW – 16.03.2024". dw.com (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  3. ^ Höhne, Benjamin (2023). ""Es braucht eine Brandmauer gegenüber der AFD" Interview mit Dr. Benjamin Höhne". miami.uni-muenster.de (in German). doi:10.17879/27998590557. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  4. ^ Cabo, Almudena de (2024-02-03). "Thousands surround the German Parliament against the far right: "We are the firewall"". EL PAÍS English. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  5. ^ ""Brandmauer" in Berlin: Protest gegen Rechtsextremismus". ZDFheute (in German). 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. ^ "'We are the firewall': Thousands protest against far-right in Germany". euronews. 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  7. ^ "Januar 2024 Nie wieder ist Jetzt – Wir sind die Brandmauer gegen Rechts – OMAS GEGEN RECHTS" (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  8. ^ e.V, Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste (2024-01-19). "#WirSindDieBrandmauer: Kundgebung gegen den Rechtsruck". Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste e.V. (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  9. ^ "Nie wieder ist jetzt! Wir sind die Brandmauer". PLANLOS-Leipzig (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  10. ^ "Wieder Demos gegen rechts - "Geschichte darf sich nicht wiederholen"". WEB.DE News (in German). 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  11. ^ "Alexander Hoffmann: Der AfD die Themen nehmen! | CSU-Landesgruppe". www.csu-landesgruppe.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  12. ^ "Nach AfD-Parteitag in Essen: "Reicht nicht, AfD in Schmuddelecke zu stellen. Müssen sie mit inhaltlichen Themen frontal nehmen" - Video - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  13. ^ Krause W, Cohen D, Abou-Chadi T. Does accommodation work? Mainstream party strategies and the success of radical right parties. Political Science Research and Methods. 2023;11(1):172-179. https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2022.8
  14. ^ mdr.de. "Umgang mit der AfD: Kann die Übernahme rechter Politiken Wahlerfolge verschaffen? | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  15. ^ "Brandmauer gegen Rechtsaußen-Fraktion im EU-Parlament gefordert". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  16. ^ "EU-Parlament: Sozialdemokraten und Grüne fordern Brandmauer gegen neue Rechtsaußen-Fraktion - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  17. ^ "EU-Parlamentarier fordern Brandmauer gegen Rechts". BR24 (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  18. ^ Mönch, Axel (2023). "Duell im Europaparlament". Agrarzeitung. 78 (9): 1. doi:10.51202/1869-9707-2023-9-001. ISSN 1869-9707.