Civil society in Saxony-Anhalt: No matter what happens

Cheers in front of the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt. About 24 hours before the polling stations in Saxony-Anhalt close, the square between the parliament building in Magdeburg and the cathedral is completely full. The author Carolin Emcke stands on a large stage and presents her thoughts on the question: “What kind of country do we want to be?” Thousands listen to her. And not just you.

One act after another will be performing for over five hours this Saturday afternoon. Local activists such as the anti-fascist Max Schneller, the GDR civil rights activist Angela Kunze-Beiküfner and the spokesman for the Saxony-Anhalt Refugee Council, Saaeid Saaeid, talk about their experiences and offer encouragement. Holocaust survivor Henriette Kretz emphasizes: “Hate has never done anything good.” Musicians known throughout Germany such as the pop singer Kerstin Ott and the pop star Berq create a great atmosphere with their songs.

Soap bubbles float above the crowd and a few Antifa flags flutter hectically in the wind. Dark clouds keep coming and rain falls. But the visitors to the civil society democracy festival in Saxony-Anhalt remain undeterred on the cathedral square.

Activists, clubs and alliances across the country have intervened in the election campaign in Saxony-Anhalt. They did not leave the much-vaunted “destined election,” which could result in a right-wing extremist government for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic, to the parties. Their flags are not welcome on Cathedral Square this Saturday. Coalitions? Percentages? This is not an issue on stage. This is about people and their future.

In the past few weeks there have been campaigns in every corner of Saxony-Anhalt to draw attention to the state elections. The “NoAfD Fund” of the campaign association Campact collected hundreds of thousands of euros for initiatives in Saxony-Anhalt in its largest fundraising campaign to date. This helped, for example, the regional association of migrant organizations in Saxony-Anhalt (Lamsa) to hold door-to-door discussions in Dessau in which they did not promote a party, but rather democracy.

And even without Campact money: In the Altmark, the grandmas against the right organized a ten-day bicycle tour, the “Courage and Participation Caravan,” to villages and towns in the rural region. Spending time together, cooking, camping. Connect.

The “DemokRadtour” was a little longer. It started on August 7th in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where a new state parliament will also be elected in two weeks. The goal? Promote democracy in both federal states. The activists drove around 1,700 kilometers from the state capital Schwerin and visited, among other places, Greifswald, Rostock and Halle. This Saturday they arrive in Magdeburg parallel to the “Democracy Festival”.

There have also been democracy festivals with stage programs in other places in Saxony-Anhalt in recent weeks. In mid-August, an alliance invited people to the Thick Tower in Zerbst, and two weeks later the “Wittenberg Weltoffen” alliance celebrated in Wittenberg. One day before the election: the “Festival of Polyphony” in Halberstadt.

At the same time, celebrities from across Germany will also be appearing in Magdeburg this Saturday. Luisa Neubauer from Fridays for Future, probably the best-known activist in Germany, tells the thousands of spectators on stage: “We don’t give up, we stay there for each other!” Jakob Springfeld, anti-fascist from Saxony, reminds us that the problem with right-wing extremists is not an East German problem.

About 24 hours before the polls close, author Carolin Emcke asks once again on stage: “What society do we want to be?” She knows that many people are feeling depressed and tired at the moment. But it is important to concentrate on what gives hope. "What kind of society do we want to be? One that continues to passionately and passionately not only defend human dignity and cosmopolitanism in our democracy, but also celebrates and lives it every day."