Trump's “Antifa” Accusations Spark Debate in Germany, the Movement's Birthplace
In early Cold War West Germany, the movement lost steam, but would start to recover in traditionally left-leaning cities like Hamburg and Berlin in the 1970s and 80s. The main roots were in the squatter scene and the left-leaning student movement calling themselves the “extra-parliamentary opposition.” Since reunification, it has picked up pace again, also gaining a boost from more affiliation with modern causes like the anti-globalization movement or climate protests.
To think of a single movement in any typical sense is misleading. Many far-left, autonomous groups identify to a greater or lesser extent with the antifa label, often also embracing anarchism and non-political means of opposition and protest. For instance, modern-day German groups identifying as antifa include anti-Zionists, much to the consternation of rival factions who argue this is inexcusable given Germany’s history.
To give an idea of the extent of the division, antifa groups can’t even truly agree on the shape of the distinctive logo. The KPD’s original in the 1930s was two red (socialist) flags, blowing to the right, with the flagpoles on the left. Most now show the flags blowing to the left. And probably the most common version now makes the lower flag black, not red, as a nod to the anarchist element of the movement as well as the socialist side. Some prefer making the larger flag and the border area black, with a smaller red flag below. Consensus really isn’t the movement’s strongest suit.
Germany’s internal intelligence agency, the Bundesverfassungsschutz, describes the antifa movement as the “main field of agitation” for autonomous leftist groups. It notes that some adherents also support “militant actions, which are primarily aimed at political opponents, especially actual or supposed ‘Nazis.’ This can often result in considerable damage to property, but also sometimes to individuals.”
The turnout and audiences at demonstrations or events organized by antifa groups often has a great deal to do with the subject matter. More uncontroversial protests might attract sympathetic participants who wouldn’t necessarily define themselves as anarchist, or indeed as far-left. Often German antifa groups enjoy their best turnouts when organizing counter-protests against far-right demonstrators. These events can draw in people from almost all walks of life.
“Around 100 Years Old and Antifa. Obviously?”
Donald Trump’s bids to reclassify the U.S. far newer and equally disparate antifa groups as terrorists have prompted political debate in Germany before, but not to quite the extent seen this week.
Leading Social Democrat Saskia Esken set the ball rolling, responding to the threat from Trump by describing herself in a short tweet as: “58 and Antifa. Obviously.” One of the SPD’s accounts responded to Esken with a nod to the party’s age, writing: “157 and Antifa. Obviously.”
While several others in the SPD followed this online template, politicians of other stripes criticized Esken sharply.
Paul Ziemiak, general secretary of the CDU, highlighted the more contentious side of antifa in his response: “Against fascism, and for democracy and human rights. Without violence. Obviously, for me. It’s sad that the chairwoman of the SPD lacks the strength to differentiate.”
The youth organization of Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU alliance, the Junge Union (founded in 1947), arguably delivered the most creative response, writing: “73 and appalled.”
However, Green party politician Konstantin von Notz pointed out the ambiguity of such a debate, by taking one of the Christian Democrats’ most famously conservative names in vain in a response to the Junge Union.
“Even [Interior Minister Horst] Seehofer has already described himself in the parliamentary internal affairs committee as an anti-Fascist. As is right and proper. What you are writing is either a bit dim or historical revisionism, or possibly both.”
Esken’s later response to the ensuing criticism brought the debate neatly full circle. “Antifa is not an organization. Anti-fascism is a point of view which all democrats should obviously support.”
Even Germany’s Duden dictionary ducks this ambiguity. Its online edition defines “Antifaschismus” as “the entirety of the movements and ideologies, which oppose fascism and national socialism.” Search for simply “Antifa,” however, and its online portal doesn’t really provide a definition. It describes it only as an abbreviation either for “Antifaschismus” or for “Antifaschistische Aktion.” And most people in Germany, antifa or not, would probably agree that there’s a profound difference between the two.
Mark Hallam is a British writer based in Bonn. This articleis published courtesy of the Deutsche Welle(DW).
