More than 5 million views on the online service But the praise for Habeck is ambiguous.
Robert Habeck stands in front of a camera and explains or tells something in portrait format: Anyone who likes to watch political content on their cell phone will be familiar with the self-made videos from the Federal Minister of Economics’ house. Even as federal chairman of the Green Party, the current Vice Chancellor enjoyed using social media for direct communication, even though he said goodbye to Facebook and X – then Twitter – in frustration at the beginning of 2019 and only uses Instagram. But the fact that a Habeck clip like this is causing such a stir is new. On X alone, where the ministry posted the nine-minute speech, it was viewed more than 6 million times in less than 24 hours. The entire speech was also the most viewed video on ntv.de on Thursday.
But what did Habeck say in it that was so astonishing? Actually not much new, the content corresponds in every respect with the line of the federal government, such as the statements made by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock: Israel has the right to self-defense and its right to exist is German reasons of state. Calls for violence against Jews and other forms of anti-Semitism are unacceptable. The Palestinian civilian population must be protected as best as possible during Israel’s military deployment and the people in Gaza and the West Bank must be given a perspective free from violence and poverty. Hamas wants the annihilation of the State of Israel and started the conflict with its unprecedented terrorist attack on October 7th in order to stop Israel’s ongoing rapprochement with the Arab states in the region.
“Fear is back”
But as is so often the case, it’s not just about what a politician says, but above all about how. And in this case, listeners cannot help but attest to Habeck’s impressive clarity. “It was my grandparents’ generation that wanted to destroy Jewish life in Germany and Europe,” Habeck takes a very personal starting point. The founding of Israel is a promise of protection for the Jewish people, to which Germany is just as obliged in the face of the Holocaust as it is to ensure that Jews in Germany “never again have to be afraid to openly show their religion, their culture. Exactly this But fear is back.”
Children from the Jewish community in Frankfurt am Main reported to him “that they are afraid to go to school, that they no longer go to sports clubs, and that on the advice of their parents they leave their Star of David necklace at home.” Habeck lists other personal examples of “sheer desperation” and intimidation and states: “While there are quickly large waves of solidarity, for example when there are racist attacks, solidarity with Israel is quickly fragile.” There can never be enough outrage and clarity. “And clarity means: anti-Semitism in any form cannot be tolerated.”
Clear warning to immigrants
Habeck clearly names who is currently emanating anti-Semitic aggression in Germany: “The extent of the Islamist demonstrations in Berlin and other cities is unacceptable and needs a tough political response.” Too many Muslim associations distanced themselves from these riots either hesitantly or not at all. Muslims rightly demanded protection from right-wing extremist violence. “They have to do the same now when Jews are attacked.” And: “Whoever lives here lives according to the rules of this country.” Burning Israeli flags or praising Hamas terror is a criminal offense. Plus: “Anyone who is not German risks losing their residence status. Anyone who does not yet have a residence permit provides a reason to be deported.”
When it comes to the security of Jewish life in Germany, tolerance cannot tolerate intolerance. “That is the core of our coexistence in this republic.” It remains to be seen whether these clear words reach the addressees. Neither Habeck nor his ministry are present on the Tiktok portal, which is extremely popular with younger people, because the Chinese service is controversial. A version of the video with Arabic subtitles for people who have not lived in Germany for long is not yet in circulation. It would be worth considering.
“Germany knows that”
Habeck doesn’t just target Muslim immigrants. There is entrenched anti-Semitism in Germany. However, German right-wing extremists are primarily taking advantage of the current situation to incite general hatred against Muslims. German sympathizers of the Russian head of state, in turn, ignored Putin’s hypocrisy when he complained about civilian victims in Gaza and at the same time bombed civilians in Ukraine. “His friends in Germany are certainly not friends of the Jews,” says Habeck, before turning to “parts of the political left”: Their anti-colonialism should not lead to anti-Semitism. He recommends that young activists in particular distrust “the great resistance narrative”: “Hamas is a murderous terrorist group that is fighting for the extinction of the state of Israel and the death of all Jews.”
Habeck makes it clear that in Germany it is not forbidden to stand up for the rights of Palestinians and to criticize Israel’s policy on this issue. But: “The call for violence against Jews or the celebration of violence against Jews: These are forbidden in our country – and rightly so.” The Vice Chancellor criticizes the extreme settler movement in the West Bank, which is fomenting unrest and killing people, as well as the “lack of prospects and poverty” of the people in Gaza. Together with the USA, the federal government is “making it clear to Israel again and again that the protection of the civilian population is central.” As “bad” as the suffering of Palestinian civilians is, “systematic violence against Jews cannot be legitimized,” says Habeck. “The existence of Israel is our obligation,” and as addressed to the people of Israel: “Germany knows that.”
Contrast to Baerbock and Scholz
Habeck immediately received a lot of praise for the video – even from people who say they don’t otherwise have much to do with the Green politician. “This is an argumentatively strong and well-founded domestic and foreign policy stance for Germany,” praised CDU politician Armin Laschet. In an interview with “T-Online”, CDU domestic politician Alexander Throm welcomed Habeck’s “supportive” words against anti-Semitism, but also demanded the same from the rest of the federal government. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, praised Habeck’s speech in “ntv Frühstart” as being “very good” and an “exception.”
But the praise from the Union’s ranks in particular is ambiguous: critics of the traffic light government think they can see a contrast between Habeck and the demeanor of Foreign Minister Baerbock. This had on Wednesday evening on ZDF justifying their decision to abstain from a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. Other countries such as the USA and Austria, on the other hand, simply rejected the resolution because of the lack of condemnation of Hamas terror as the starting point for the renewed escalation.
Habeck senses a trap
In the cross-examination of the two ZDF journalists, Baerbock appeared far less eloquent than Habeck when reading out the written speech. Baerbock’s television appearance does not contain a quote as short and meaningful as the Habeck clip. Germany’s chief diplomat wanted to explain Germany’s difficult role as a mediator, keeping channels open to all sides, on ZDF and got confused. Laschet interpreted the sentence “There is no one way of seeing things” against Baerbock. In the face of Hamas terror, there is “just one point of view: never again”. The Green politician probably meant that when talking to Arab government representatives she had to deal with their perspectives without agreeing with them. But it is precisely such vulnerable ambiguities that show why the Habeck clip affects so many people: it is unmistakable.
The traffic light opponents’ praise for Habeck also has another goal: to credit the Chancellor, who has always not been prone to emotional appearances and rarely aggressively proclaims his claim to leadership. Scholz was among the first heads of government to travel to Israel after the terrorist attack on October 7th, and the Chancellor also made clear statements about the anti-Semitic protests in Germany. But none of these statements have so far had the quality to remain in memory.
Habeck himself also seems to realize how sensitive the universal praise is. The morning after his clip became public, Habeck was clearly displaying vanity. The Chancellor gave “very big and classifying speeches”. One cannot have enough of such debate contributions in these difficult times. “The Chancellor does this very well in his own way, in his formats,” said the Vice Chancellor, who himself wanted to become head of government one day, and boarded his plane to London.