The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt plans, if they win the September state election, to ban the display of the rainbow flag in public schools as one of their first measures. This is laid out in the “100-Day Immediate Action Plan” the party unveiled at its state party congress in Magdeburg. Instead, the German flag should fly at every school day.
“The rainbow flag does not stand for the rights of homosexuals; it stands for the devaluation of the family and of traditional societal normality,” reads point 7 of the 100-Day Plan. “Such a thing has no place in schools. The school must present to children the normal family, made up of a man and a woman, from which children arise, as the model.”
Money for “Tradition” Instead of “Rainbow Ideology”
Furthermore, the school should educate children “in the spirit of love for the people and homeland,” according to the AfD paper. “We will therefore ban the official display of the rainbow flag at public schools and instead ensure that the German national flag flies on public schools every school day.”
The plan’s immediate program consists of ten points, including additional extreme demands. For instance, the AfD wants to terminate the public broadcasting treaties and establish special classes for children of refugees. Programs to promote democracy and “all gender projects” should no longer receive state funding. “We will turn off the funding taps to the asylum and integration industry,” the program states. The state’s image campaign should be renamed from “#moderndenken” to “#deutschdenken”.”
The detailed “governing program” of the AfD Saxony-Anhalt contains numerous further assaults on the rights and dignity of queer people, which are described as enemies of the people (TheColu.mn reported). The “LGBTQ movement” (sic) would use its alleged representation of non-heterosexual people’s interests as a pretext to destroy the traditional normality that the party says is essential to the healthy development of our society. Instead of “rainbow ideology,” state money should flow into “religion, tradition and (real) culture.” Associations should only receive funding if they do not serve the “perverse rainbow agenda.” The AfD Saxony-Anhalt also complains that “sexual deviations” are allegedly being promoted more aggressively than the normal family made up of a man and a woman.
Top Candidate Siegmund Elected to Party Board
Top candidate Ulrich Siegmund, who aims to become the first AfD politician to lead a state government in Germany this fall, was elected to the state executive board with 99.5 percent support at the party conference. State chairman Martin Reichardt, who was recently criticized over a photo from 2020 showing him giving the Hitler salute, was confirmed in his post with about 89 percent. The domestic intelligence service regards the AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt state association as securely right-wing extremist, with roughly 3,500 members.
The campaign is gaining momentum. Next weekend, party chairwoman Alice Weidel will attend the AfD campaign kickoff in Magdeburg. At the same time, there are actions opposing the AfD — the Campact organization has collected more than 2.5 million euros ahead of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to support local initiatives and associations as well as campaigns against the AfD, through a so-called “NoAfD Fund.”
“The AfD may pour millions into its campaign, but it faces a strong democratic civil society,” says Luise Neumann-Cosel, head of policy and campaigns at Campact. Yet while Erfurt hosted large protests during the AfD’s federal party congress, Magdeburg’s city center saw only a rally with about 230 participants, according to police.
The AfD was recently well ahead of the CDU in polls. The current coalition of CDU, SPD, and FDP could lose its majority in the state parliament. (mize)
