Sebastian Krumbiegel from Leipzig recently received right-wing threats before an event. In March, neo-Nazis loitered at the site of a reading by Zwickau activist Jakob Springfeld. Here they report how they felt – and why they continue to campaign against the right.
Last Friday I, Sebastian, read from my book in the “Boddenhus” in Greifswald. A few days earlier I had received right-wing threats. There was also talk of a right-wing demonstration in front of the venue. I know something like that from the past. But now the idea was to cancel the event. That was a new dimension for me.
In March I, Jakob, read from my book in Bautzen. Shortly before the start, about a dozen neo-Nazis, some of them masked, stood in front of the youth center. The reading could only be carried out under police protection. I ended up being escorted to the train station by security so I could get home safely.
Springfeld and Krumbiegel are committed to combating right-wing violence.
(Photo: Private)
How does that feel? To Germany in 2023. Namely threatening. And we are only at risk because we are committed to preventing the rise of ultra-right parties in the country. Our aim is to show that not only neo-Nazis live in the East, but that there is a civil society that stands up against them.
The uneasy feeling
We are separated by a few decades of life experience. We have to realize again and again that our experiences are shockingly similar: the older of us (57) experienced the baseball bat years in Leipzig in the early 1990s, the younger one (21) experienced violence from neo-Nazis in the city of Zwickau where the right-wing extremist NSU murder gang last went into hiding before they were exposed.
We know the uneasy feeling when running away from right-wing thugs, the fear in your bones when your head is rattling about what could happen if… But we both also know what it’s like to say, hours later or the next day: Nope, We won’t let ourselves get down.
For a long time we have been fighting – each in our own way – against the extreme right and for democracy, human rights and a plural society in Saxony and elsewhere. And we will continue to do that. Even if it often hurts and, let’s put it this way, becomes more dangerous. And yes, it is anything but nice to work in this constant threat situation – whether in the form of music, readings or political work.
Hate is not an opinion
But if we let the right-wing mob dictate what we Democrats do or don’t do, then that would be the beginning of the end of our country as we know it. What is at stake here is nothing less than the great value of freedom of art and freedom of expression. It’s about where our democracy turns and whether it will survive the coming year in all parts of this country. If we think about the poll numbers of the AfD and other far-right parties for the three state elections in the east, we get a completely different picture.
The threat level before and during some of our readings is just the tip of the iceberg. We are grateful that the public offers us protection, especially through the media. Others are not so lucky in these hateful times, they get lost in the crowd. Attacks on refugees are increasing. This year there were significantly more than in 2022, as police statistics show. At the same time, we are experiencing attacks on synagogues and rampant anti-Semitism. Hatred of people of the Jewish faith is spreading.
Right now we have to stick with it and make it clear again and again: hate is not an opinion. Hate is and leads to even worse crimes. Anyone who tolerates the intolerant and equates them with democrats has no idea of history or has not recognized the signs of the times. Or, in the worst case, is itself an enemy of our free, democratic basic order.
East Germany as a place of democracy
Many people reading this will now think: AfD politicians are also being attacked. But we, who wrote this article, get the hate from the right. Again and again. We know about the bloody trail of right-wing violence since reunification until today. It shows a continuity that feels increasingly intimidating and frustrating: especially for people who are active in rural areas, especially in areas of Saxony, where one vote for the Greens is offset by dozens for sharply right-wing parties. But giving up is out of the question. Not even and especially not in Saxony.
We defend East Germany as a place of democracy. Even where the AfD receives more than 30 percent approval, not everything is right-wing. In Zwickau, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Schwerin, Prenzlau, Greifswald, Erfurt – everywhere in the East there are many people with their hearts in the right place. People whose work is often neglected in public discourse. Unfortunately.
So that everyone, including the two of us, can continue to get involved and so that we don’t constantly experience “blue miracles” in the coming years, we have to call the threat by its name and finally put much, much, much more democratic emphasis on the marketplaces Bring cultural centers and cities. And we appeal to everyone to protect ourselves and democracy. It’s not enough to just think: The AfD is terrible. Everyone has to do something.
In any case, we will not allow ourselves to be distorted and will continue to read from our books, make music and organize protests. Whether in Greifswald or Bautzen: We are not running away. We’ll stay there. And if necessary, we will come back.