THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 04 March 2020 [Germany’s far-right problem (The Hindu)]

Germany’s far-right problem (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2: International
Prelims level: Alternative for Deutschland
Mains level: Reasons behind the rising of far right problem in Germany

Context:

• The killing of nine people at two shisha lounges in Hanau, Germany, last week by a person suspected to have a far-right background has heightened concerns about the country’s right-wing extremism.
• The Hanau attacker had released a manifesto before the assault, targeting mainly those of Kurdish origin, which called for extermination of people in several West Asian countries.

Rise of far right problems:

• In recent years, Germany, like several other European countries, has seen twin far-right problems — growing street violence by extremists against minorities and immigrants and the rapid political rise ...........................

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How many far-right groups are there?

• Post-war Germany has been wary of nationalist politics and has shown zero tolerance to anti-Semitism and race-related crimes.
• The Nazi-era crimes are remembered in Germany and taught in schools. The public are banned from using Nazi slogans or symbols and there are laws against Holocaust denial.
• But despite this culture of atonement and strong legislation to prevent racist crimes, Germany has seen the resurgence of xenophobic groups, especially after the German reunification in 1990.
• In November 2011, German officials uncovered the National Socialist Underground (NSU), a neo-Nazi terrorist group, which had carried out decade-long underground activities, including a series ................................................

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Rising of the Alternative for Deutschland:

• The rise of the AfD, which broke with Germany’s post-war consensus on pluralism and multilateralism and took an overly German nationalist approach at all issues, from internal and external security to economic policy, has shaken up the political climate in the country.
• The AfD’s growth has coincided with a sharp jump in the number of far-right attacks in Germany.
• According to the BfV (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz), the domestic security agency of the federal government, there are 24,100 right-wing extremists in Germany, of which 12,700 are “violence-oriented”.
• The country has also .................................................

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What does the AfD want?

• The AfD was founded in 2013 by a group of conservative leaders, many of whom were part of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
• Their plan was to occupy the political vacuum created by the CDU’s shift towards the centre from the right under Ms. Merkel’s leadership.
• Initially the AfD was focused on its anti-euro agenda and staunchly opposed German taxpayer’s money being used to bail out debt-trapped countries in the euro zone, mainly Greece.
• After Ms. Merkel ...................................................

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Way ahead:

• If the AfD was seen as a political untouchable by the establishment parties till recently, that is also slowly changing.
• Earlier this month, in the eastern State of Thuringia, a liberal leader was elected premier with help from Ms. Merkel’s CDU and the AfD.
• It created national outrage and Ms. Merkel made a decisive intervention. Thuringia Premier Thomas Kemmerich quit after the controversy.
• The CDU’s leader and Ms. Merkel’s designated successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has also announced her resignation from the party leadership. But despite the uproar, the Thuringia episode is an example that the AfD is fast becoming a mainstream political party in Germany.
• With the AfD’s rise and its open embrace of racist and anti-Muslim rhetoric, the many sleeper neo-Nazi cells which were till now resisted by the post-war consensus feel emboldened. That consensus is now under attack.

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Prelims Questions:

Q1. With reference to the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), consider the following statements:
1. The government decided to give more incentives to FPOs in more than 100 Aspirational Districts- 'Aspirational Districts' of the country with at least one FPO formed in every block.
2. The Centre will provide fund of Rs 55 lakh to each FPO.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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Mains Questions:
Q1. Why is the growing popularity of the AfD’s ...............................................?

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