Steinmeier warns Germany against repeating the fate of the Weimar Republic
On the Day of German Unity, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned of the danger of extremist forces gaining strength in the country and of a repetition of the Weimar Republic scenario (the unofficial name for Germany in 1918-1933, years that were marked by political and economic instability and ended with the Nazi regime coming to power).
«The discrediting of democratic processes, the radicalization of the public, the defamation of compromise — all this must serve as a warning to us. Whether the Berlin Republic will become more like the Weimar one — that question remains open for now,» Steinmeier said in Bremen at the celebrations marking the 36th anniversary of Germany's unification.
«Let us not allow ourselves to be drawn into political hysteria, into a rampage of insults against mayors and deputies, into an unrestrained thirst for destruction,» the head of state urged. According to him, «all this is accompanied by the unbearable political demagoguery of extremist forces, which display a desire to destroy, mock and threaten other people.» «And this poses a danger not only to freedom and democracy — it poses a threat to our internal unity,» Steinmeier believes.
The president drew attention to the fact that broad sections of society are expressing distrust of Germany's political order. «That is precisely why we cannot ignore the fact that a quarter and even more [of citizens] demonstrate with their vote in elections a rejection of important decisions of the republic,» Steinmeier noted.
The Day of German Unity is the country's national holiday and a non-working day. On October 3, 1990, five states of the former German Democratic Republic — Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia — became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The main celebrations this year are taking place in Bremen.
Source: TASS
