Boos and whistles in Munich
Scholz stands up to right-wing troublemakers
8/18/2023, 8:42 p.m
The mood in Munich at the SPD election campaign event is irritable, the police presence is large. As soon as Chancellor Scholz enters the stage, he is met with a torrent of insults. But he contradicts his loud critics.
Accompanied by applause, but also boos and whistles, Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended the policy of the federal government against constant criticism from the right on Munich’s Marienplatz. “Yes, the right-wing populists are bad for prosperity. They stand for a bleak future and that’s why they’re always in such a bad mood. That’s the reason,” said the SPD politician in his speech at an election campaign event of the Bavarian SPD. But the future is bright, democratic and free. “It consists of a country where we are different, but like to live together.” Addressing the AfD and the “lateral thinkers present” directly, he emphasized: “So democracy and freedom means that you can say that you can’t say your opinion.”
The atmosphere in downtown Munich was very tense long before the start of the election campaign. This took place under strict security conditions. Right from the start, Scholz defended the Ukraine policy, including the arms deliveries: It was right that Germany and many other countries supported a country against an imperialist attack. “This also means that we deliver weapons.” This will be carefully examined and this also includes ensuring that there is no escalation between Russia and NATO.
Addressing those opposed to the war, Scholz said that telling the Ukrainians to simply let their country be conquered had nothing to do with a love of peace. Anyone who walks around the square as a dove of peace is a “fallen angel from hell” who speaks up for the warmonger Putin.
Insulted as “warmongers” and “failures”.
Scholz had recently had to listen to whistles and criticism at public appearances, for example this week in Frankfurt or in Neuruppin in Brandenburg. Here, too, the criticism is directed, among other things, at energy and climate policy as well as arms deliveries to Ukraine. In Munich, however, Scholz’s microphone was set so loud that the whistles and calls could hardly get through to the stage. The critics had chanted “warmongers”, “failures” and “liars”, among other things, and on their posters they also accused the government of “climate lies”.
Scholz’ venue, Marienplatz, has not been a good place for Chancellors to campaign in the recent past. Angela Merkel from the CDU was received here in 2019 at the closing event of the CSU in the federal election campaign by a piercing concert of whistles. As a result, her speech was almost lost, even though the then Chancellor’s microphone was turned up louder. The initiators at the time were supporters of the AfD and Pegida.
Around six weeks before the state elections in Bavaria, the SPD, which is doing poorly in the polls, wanted to start its election campaign with Scholz. In his speech, SPD top candidate Florian von Brunn attacked in particular the policies of the state government and accused the CSU and Free Voters of lacking concepts for the challenges. He described the AfD as right-wing extremists.
AfD registered a counter-demo
The Bavarian SPD is currently bobbing between 9 and 11 percent in polls and urgently needs a change of mood if they still want to achieve their election goal of at least 15 percent of the vote. Many party members in Bavaria clearly attribute the poor poll numbers to the policies of the SPD-led federal government. At the start of the event, which was followed by several thousand people, Bavaria’s SPD co-chairwoman Ronja Endres expressly pointed out that disturbances with drums or whistles are prohibited, as is carrying weapons.
In the run-up to the SPD’s campaign appearance, the right-wing scene had called on its supporters to take part in counter-events in the city centre. According to a police spokesman, among other things, the AfD has registered a meeting at the Stachus. According to reports, lateral thinkers are also on the move not far from Marienplatz. The police had therefore set up barricades on Marienplatz and carried out strict security checks in the areas in front of the stage. More than 200 police officers were on duty.