Höcke’s Attack on Humanity – and the Applause of the Wrong People

Björn Höcke, in his latest speech, once again showed how far he has moved away from the foundations of a free country. He claims that Germany is not worth defending because of an alleged “guilt pride”. This is not only historically absurd but a direct challenge to what holds this country together: the commitment to responsibility, freedom and human dignity. He then mocks the German military and acts as if one should ask what it is supposed to defend – whether “drag queen performances” or other things he presents as proof of an alleged decline. This mockery is no accident. It is not directed at stage art but at the open society. When he then condescendingly declares that the military has no traditions and subtly raises the question of what it should defend at all, he strikes at exactly what authoritarian movements always attack: the legitimacy of democratic institutions.

Höcke acts as if this country were an empty vessel that must first be filled by his ethnic fantasy. His demand for a “state for the Germans” is not only unconstitutional – it is a direct attack on everyone who lives, works, loves and belongs here without fitting into his ethnic template. He tries to portray minorities as a burden, as signs of an alleged decay. That he thereby fuels exactly the division he claims to fight could not be more obvious. Germany’s domestic intelligence service does not classify Höcke as firmly right wing extremist by accident. His language is no slip, but a clear concept: to degrade people, delegitimize institutions and ridicule democratic values. Anyone who thinks in his logic sees not neighbors, citizens or colleagues – but categories, gradations and exclusions. It is the old rhetoric of unequal worth, repackaged and repeated openly.

It must be said clearly what this speech reveals: anyone who takes Höcke as a role model stands against democracy. Not figuratively, but in the most concrete sense. Anyone who follows him chooses a fascist politics that seeks to destroy what has been painstakingly built over 75 years. Höcke shows where the journey is meant to go – and anyone who does not distance themselves becomes an accomplice. But society is also called upon. It must honestly ask itself what kind of country it wants – and what kind it does not. If it does not want what Höcke loudly promotes, then scrolling angrily or posting harsh comments is no longer enough. What is needed is engagement that is visible, tangible and takes place outside of screens. Democracy does not defend itself. It survives because people stand up before others abolish it for them. Much more education, open dialogue and real support are needed – especially for younger generations. The developments in the United States show how quickly a country can change and where it can drift if one reacts too late. Anyone who does not see this as a shared goal should at least ask what contribution she or he can make. Not out of guilt, but out of responsibility for a country that remains free only as long as we defend it.