fiat_lux

Old twitter screenshot of Mirko Welsch’s account apparently calling for Antifa to be deported to Buchenwald

I was unable to determine what other interpretations this might have:

“Abschiebung der Antifa nach Buchenwald. Arbeit statt Linksterror.”

Perhaps there is some nuance I have missed, ‘nach’ is a very versatile word even if the rest are very unambiguous.

This factchecker analysis looked even-handed enough for me to be satisfied it was not just my poor German or inaccurate auto-translation.

For the other incidents, I’ll leave you to check the post I initially replied to for names and accuracy checking.

While I’m not convinced the distinction between extreme right wing supporters and Nazis is as significant as you suggest, I do understand that it is possible to object to unchecked mass migration without being a Nazi or even being right-wing.

Refugees and corresponding xenophobia are a pretty standard global topic for obvious reasons, and as much as I wish infrastructure could be instantaneously built, I know it can’t be.

But:

AfD members have called for a second Holocaust … the execution of refugees … the imprisonment of homosexuals … the creation of a new SA … the imprisonment of left wingers in Buchenwald … and practicing apartheid.

We’re well past discussing the nuances of “what separates Nazis from other far-right ideology” and plausible deniability when someone starts invoking the name of fucking Buchenwald. Even if the rest of that list were somehow acceptable or could be explained away, there’s no mistaking what Buchenwald means.

I’m not surprised by the global rise of the right-wing rhetoric as the situation gets harder for 99% of people. I have been watching that closely for years. Xenophobia is always presented everywhere as the false easy solution. What I am surprised by is that Germany is allowing politicians to advocate specific Nazi atrocities when there are purportedly laws against glorifying Nazis.

10-15 years ago I remember being told that Nazism couldn’t take hold again in Germany because of all the laws, and the education in schools about Nazis, and stigma, and people who would fist-fight Nazis in the street if they saw right-wing symbols.

Was I sold an optimistic outlook or has the situation just changed that drastically since then?

As a non-German who is particularly not keen about Nazism but who doesn’t speak enough German to keep a closer eye on it over there, I’m grateful for your name and shame overview.

Additional fun fact based on this: the colour name “orange” in English is named after the fruit. But we only have evidence of the English word “orange” for the fruit from the 13th century, even though the fruit was known to the Chinese c.300BC because it’s a human creation - a mix of pomelo and mandarin.

Before we used “orange” to describe the colour it was called “yellow-red”, which is accurate but underwhelming and not very catchy.

The history of colour name “pink” is only from the 17th century, even more recent. It never fails to blow my mind how categories and names have colour have changed over time and cultures.