VVN-BdA and non-profit organization: Who has something against anti-fascism?

Since the non-profit status of the VVN-BdA has been at stake again, solidarity with the association of those persecuted by the Nazi regime - Association of Antifascists has not stopped. Almost 50,000 people have now signed a petition entitled “Antifascism must remain non-profit”, which the association, supported by Campact, started almost two weeks ago.

The VVN-BdA is the oldest anti-fascist organization in the Federal Republic. At the beginning of September, the association turned to the public because the Berlin tax office accused it of “inadmissible political activity” and questioned its non-profit status. The authority explicitly refers to the VVN-BdA’s “current campaign to ban the AfD”. Withdrawal of non-profit status would probably mean significant tax back payments and would question the association's ability to function.

Since then, numerous organizations have shown solidarity, such as the “Legal Security for Political Will Formation” alliance, an association of 230 civil society initiatives, and Holocaust survivor Ernst Grube, who also sits on the executive board of the Dachau camp community. "The fact that the right-wing radical press is loudly demanding such action from the tax authorities is part of their hate propaganda; the fact that the Berlin tax office is following this is a scandal," writes Grube in his statement.

The 93-year-old Jewish survivor of the Theresienstadt ghetto was referring to a weeks-long campaign by right-wing media outlets such as Apollo News in the run-up to the Opposition protests against the AfD federal party conference in July, which, among other things, accused the VVN-BdA of managing the Opposition's donation account. According to the VVN-BdA, the tax office was bombarded with inquiries from this environment - and then apparently started work.

The role of Stefan Evers, the CDU's top candidate for Sunday's elections, remains unclear. As the incumbent Finance Senator, Evers is politically responsible for the tax authority. At the beginning of July, Die Welt reported, citing a source in the tax administration, that Evers' administration had “initiated” the special audit at the tax authority.

Since these allegations became known, Evers' press spokesman and the press office of the Senate Finance Administration referred the taz to tax secrecy, which is why neither Evers nor the authority could comment on the case at all. On Wednesday, Evers denied for the first time the allegations that there had been political instructions to the tax offices. “This is complete nonsense,” he told taz on the sidelines of a “citizens’ barbecue” in the outskirts of Bohnsdorf.

He is informed by the tax office about tax cases of particular importance. “But I will do anything to interfere in the work of the tax offices,” said Evers. In Germany these are “not politically conducted for good reason”. He said he had “complete confidence” that the principle of “equal rights for all” always applies in the tax office and that the officials “do not pursue any political motives in their work.”

In the world, however, it was said that there were strong doubts “within the Berlin state government” about the non-profit status of the VVN-BdA - this formulation obviously pointed to Stefan Evers. In fact, financial authorities are obliged to treat each other equally, which is why they are not allowed to act for political reasons. Interference would therefore be legally sensitive for Evers.

Not all questions have been clarified for the Greens either - and Evers would be dependent on them if a possible coalition was formed. Ario Mirzaie, party spokesman for the fight against right-wing extremism, told the taz that the CDU and Evers had “repeatedly revealed a problematic relationship with civil society in the past,” for example in the funding affair or in dealing with the racist smear campaign against the swimming event organized by the Eoto club and the Volksbühne.

Evers must therefore “explain whether or not the work of the tax office was influenced in the matter,” said Mirzaie. It is clear that antifascism should not be a tax risk - and that the VVN-BdA cannot be accused of advocating a ban on the AfD. “There can be no neutrality in the debate with right-wing extremist parties,” said Mirzaie. Two SPD parliamentary group spokesmen left a query from the taz unanswered.

In the meantime, people in the VVN-BdA are not letting things get them down. “We want to increase the pressure,” said Cornelia Kerth to the taz, the federal spokeswoman for the VVN-BdA. We are “very pleased” about the “very rapid response” that the solidarity petition received. In this time of the AfD's electoral successes and increasing hostility from radical conservatives to civil society initiatives, the reaction is more than just symbolism, she explained. And emphasized that the tax office is making itself “a vicarious agent in the AfD environment”.

Now they want to work even harder to win support in the middle of society. Kerth reminds us that the VVN-BdA has had to assert itself in the Federal Republic since the association was founded in 1947 by Auschwitz survivors and resistance fighters. That is also “an order”.