VVN-BdA | Saxony-Anhalt has shown that the danger does not come from the left

80 years later: The VVN-BdA commemorates the Jewish victims of the pogrom night of 1938 Photo: dpa/Axel Heimken Donald Trump pronounces Antifa “Antiiiiifa” – and finds them “bad, very bad”. Do you know who else thinks she’s “bad”? No, I don't mean the AfD, of course they do too. But the feeling is mutual. The Association of Those Persecuted by the Nazi Regime - Association of Antifascists, or for friends: VVN-BdA, is campaigning for a ban on the AfD, because quote: "Ban Nazi parties before it is too late." The Berlin tax office, in turn, finds this "bad" or in German: not in line with their neutrality requirement. After all, it is only logical to demand that an anti-fascist association be neutral towards a right-wing extremist party. Make it make sense!

Since that is not possible, here are the consequences of this accusation as a mathematical equation instead: N = G = hS = eB. Or in more detail: Violation of the neutrality requirement = withdrawal of non-profit status = high tax back payments = an existential threat to the VVN-BdA.

I am writing this column while the projections for the Saxony-Anhalt election are running across the tickers. And they are apocalyptic. When has it been more important to learn from our history than now? But German history, even after National Socialism... is not particularly anti-fascism friendly. As early as the 1950s, the VVN was classified as unconstitutional because communists - in the Soviet Union as well as at home - were the enemy of the Adenauer government. And as is well known, the Nazis were the first to arrest communists and socialists before they finally persecuted Jews, Sintizzes, homosexuals, so-called anti-socials and everyone else.

Mithu Melanie Sanyal is a writer, journalist and cultural scientist, daughter of an Indian engineer and a secretary of Polish origin, grew up in Düsseldorf. In her non-fiction books and novels - her first: "Identitti" was a huge success, her second: "Antichristie" is about the armed struggle against the Empire - as well as in radio plays and essays she deals with questions of feminism, racism and sexual violence. What Mithu Sanyal publishes triggers debates, and productive ones at that. She will write for us about everything between everyday life, politics and literature.

Fortunately, everything became completely different under Willy Brandt. Ah no, he authorized the Radical Decree. Looking back, he himself described it as a “political error.” This is what I would like from politicians today: that they admit mistakes and thereby open up the possibility that they and we all learn from them.

The VVN-BdA was classified as unconstitutional until 2006. And in Bavaria even until 2020. If the AfD has its way, now again. Accordingly, their attempt to withdraw the non-profit status of the VVN-BdA.

Oh, I just received the information that the Berlin CDU and its top candidate Stefan Evers played a key role in the campaign against Antiiiiifa. This must be this firewall that we are hearing so much about at the moment. How good that at least the Federal Agency for Civic Education is aware of the danger from the far right. Oh no, instead she would rather focus on critical issues such as left-wing extremism. Spoiler: The danger really isn't coming from the left at the moment! And antifascism is as important as ever.

By the way, there is also a petition in solidarity with the association of those persecuted by the Nazi regime - Association of Antifascists.

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