12 minutes agoGermany halts funds for far-right party due to ideology
Periskopi(2 years ago)
(2 years ago)The highest court in Germany ruled that a small right-wing party will not receive any state funds in the next six years because its values and goals are unconstitutional and are aimed at destroying state democracy. Federal Constitutional Court said the Die Heima party, which me [...]
The highest court in Germany ruled that a small right-wing party will not receive any state funds in the next six years because its values and goals are unconstitutional and are aimed at destroying state democracy.
The Federal Constitutional Court said the party Die Heimat, formerly known as Germany's National Democratic Party (NPD), “continues to ignore democratic order and according to its goals and the actions of its members and supporters, is oriented towards eliminating it”.
Judge Doris Koenig, who is deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court, explained the ruling is unanimously made, saying the party's political concept is not in line with ensuring human dignity, as defined in the German Constitution.
Die Heima has a concept of German ethnic identity and supports the idea that “the national community” is based on background, the judge said.
The community's “proposal based on ethnicity results in contempt for foreigners, migrants and minorities, and violates human dignity and the principle of basic legal equality”, Koenig said.
The German government, the Low Chamber and Parliament's High Chamber sent subjects for the party before the court. They presented evidence, saying they testify that Die Heimat is a racist organisation, which has anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic ideology, and opposes transplants.
The government raised the issue of halting the financing of this political party by the state, as two attempts to halt the party's activity failed.
Die Heimat leader Frank Franz minimizes the importance of Tuesday's decision.
“Yes, it's not very good for us”, Franz said, according to German news agency Dpa.
Political parties in Germany receive financial support based on their representation in the state, national and European parliament.
Die Heimat has received no state support since 2021. In 2016, this party had accepted 370,600 euros, having won 3.02 percent of the vote in the eastern state of McLaneburg, western Pomerania.
Another far-right party, Alternative for Germany ( The AfD is up in the polls. Currently, according to polls this party is second in terms of national support or has 23 per cent support, very high figure compared to the recent federal elections held in Germany in 2021, when the AfD won 10.3 per cent of the vote.
Leading politicians in Germany have discussed the possibility of banning the AfD or excluding it from state financial aid, but so far no politician has taken serious steps in this regard.
German Interior Minister Nancy Fyser welcomed the Constitutional Court's decision on Die Haymat, saying that “delivers a clear message: Our democratic state does not finance enemies of the Constitution”.
