Compact to ruin
The revolution devours its children. The government is trying to eliminate its opponents in the final stages. The Compact ban is a desperate attempt to rid itself of unpleasant elements and to use constitutional means as a weapon against undesirable opponents. Whether it is doing itself a favor is another question.
By Serdar Somuncu
By Serdar Somuncu
The magazine "Compact" by right-wing publicist Jürgen Elsässer has long been a thorn in the side of many. Elsässer, who actually comes from the extreme left-wing environment around Konkret publisher Hermann Gremlitza, has become radicalized since the Yugoslavian war, in which he sided with the pro-Serbian side of the Austrian playwright Peter Handke.
At the latest during the Corona period, Elsässer also knew how to combine the influence of the government-critical opponents of the measures with the new right and thus form a front against the existing power structures. These circles, in which more and more bourgeois intellectuals are also appearing, are increasingly also those who, in their resistance to the "corona dictatorship", have styled themselves as fighters against a tyrannical regime and are now demanding accountability for the failings of those in power. An explosive mixture of justified criticism and eccentric conspiracy ideology, which could be found until recently in Elsässer's magazines and internet presence.
Now one might think that behind the ban on the organization lies something like a demonstration of power by the state against subversive elements, which is intended to show even the most rebellious that this government is capable of taking action and making decisions in the final stages of its legislative period. But in reality, its behavior only proves the opposite. Because everyone knows that you can perhaps ban a newspaper, but not an attitude.
This requires other means. Argumentation, credibility and political skill, instead of authoritarian behavior. The result is already clear. The more the government tries to eliminate its opponents through detours and bans, the stronger it makes the opposition forces around the AfD and others. The big showdown will only come when Björn Höcke wins the election in Thuringia and for the first time no other option than the AfD will be possible. Whether the force of power will then be enough to support the firewall against the extremists or whether the first dissidents from the CDU and especially the CSU will see their chance in turning to radicalism is a question that will decide whether Germany will follow the European trend towards secession and neo-nationalism or whether we will find our own way of dealing with our political opponents on an equal footing. Difficult times lie ahead.
07/17/24
©Serdar Somuncu
Current program "Seelenheil" now downloadable in Shop
*Serdar Somuncu is an actor and director
At the latest during the Corona period, Elsässer also knew how to combine the influence of the government-critical opponents of the measures with the new right and thus form a front against the existing power structures. These circles, in which more and more bourgeois intellectuals are also appearing, are increasingly also those who, in their resistance to the "corona dictatorship", have styled themselves as fighters against a tyrannical regime and are now demanding accountability for the failings of those in power. An explosive mixture of justified criticism and eccentric conspiracy ideology, which could be found until recently in Elsässer's magazines and internet presence.
Now one might think that behind the ban on the organization lies something like a demonstration of power by the state against subversive elements, which is intended to show even the most rebellious that this government is capable of taking action and making decisions in the final stages of its legislative period. But in reality, its behavior only proves the opposite. Because everyone knows that you can perhaps ban a newspaper, but not an attitude.
This requires other means. Argumentation, credibility and political skill, instead of authoritarian behavior. The result is already clear. The more the government tries to eliminate its opponents through detours and bans, the stronger it makes the opposition forces around the AfD and others. The big showdown will only come when Björn Höcke wins the election in Thuringia and for the first time no other option than the AfD will be possible. Whether the force of power will then be enough to support the firewall against the extremists or whether the first dissidents from the CDU and especially the CSU will see their chance in turning to radicalism is a question that will decide whether Germany will follow the European trend towards secession and neo-nationalism or whether we will find our own way of dealing with our political opponents on an equal footing. Difficult times lie ahead.
07/17/24
©Serdar Somuncu
Current program "Seelenheil" now downloadable in Shop
*Serdar Somuncu is an actor and director
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