CAN A SOCIAL MOVEMENT COME OUT OF LARGE MEETINGS?
Türkçe English Deutsch Italiano Français Ελληνικά Kurdî Español Will a social movement emerge from large rallies?
Big rallies have been held in Germany for several weeks against the racist party Alternative for Germany (AfD). While the maximum attendance is 120 thousand in Berlin, it does not go below 50 thousand in other major cities.
What is important about these demonstrations is that they also take place in small cities. Crowds of several thousand people are gathering to protest AfD in many small cities. The fact that the demonstrations last a long time and, more importantly, are not limited to certain centers, brings to mind the question of whether a social movement can arise from these.
Two important prerequisites are required for the formation of a social movement: a specific program and the ability to ensure continuity. a center.
Such big movements are shaped on the basis of a single desire. When other requests are tried to join in to expand the movement, the movement shrinks and disperses.
One request; is to be anti-racist.
Racism must also be defined broadly. For some, the real racism is anti-Semitic, while for others it may be anti-immigrant. SPD and the Greens have significant weight on such a movement.
After all, these are the two largest of the three-party coalition in power (the third is the FDP). According to current election research, the largest party is CDU, followed by AfD. After the demonstrations, AfD lost approximately 4 points. In any case, it is still the second largest party. The vote rate may decrease or increase further... In any case, anti-racist demonstrations have clearly given the message "you may be strong, but we are also strong."
For this reason, I find the articles about the "rising danger of fascism in Germany" meaningless. Writers repeat what they have memorized. They think that the situation in Germany is the same as it was years ago, that there is no strong front consisting of different views against racism.
Immigrants They changed, and they changed Germany too. Many immigrants have renounced their immigration status as citizens. He is of German immigrant origin (Deutsch mit Migrationshintergrund). There is also a beautiful expression coined for those who were Germans or "pure Germans" until at least three generations ago: Biodeutsch!
Looking at the demonstrations, it is meaningless like the "union of immigrants" of about twenty years ago. You should not change your plans. Immigrants cannot unite; on the contrary, they are in fierce competition. Let alone the unity of immigrants from different nations, even Turks alone cannot be united. Unity can only be within the framework of a general demand that includes everyone: such as anti-racism…
The vast majority of those who participated in the demonstrations against the AfD were Germans.creates. The participation of immigrants - although it is difficult to distinguish who is German and who is not - is less. If we make an evaluation specifically for Turks and Kurds, it can be said that the participation of Turks, both as organizations and individuals, is more visible. The participation of Kurds is very low.
It is talked about a lot in our country, but it cannot be implemented: politics is done on the streets. Demonstrations against AfD are a good example of politics on the streets.
Even in countries such as Germany, where parliamentarism is so developed that it cannot be compared to Turkey, streets, parliaments, It affects the press and the general public.
