2024-03-19 19:37:34
Yes, the firewall has to stand.
To date, few business leaders have positioned themselves as clearly as Reinhold Würth against the AfD. The head of the screw manufacturer Würth addressed his workforce with an urgent appeal and explicitly warned against a vote for the AfD. This is not a ban or interference with free and secret elections. Because what the employees ultimately tick in the voting booth remains entirely up to them.
Würth’s appeal is understandable, because experts agree that the German economy needs a flourishing European internal market, good international relations and an influx of foreign skilled workers. Instead, AfD officials talk about leaving the EU, the Dexit, advocate protectionism and deliberately stir up fear of migrants and asylum seekers.
If the AfD comes into government responsibility, there is a serious threat to peaceful coexistence and the preservation of German prosperity. It is therefore hardly surprising that business representatives are also worried about the AfD’s survey results.
The economic arguments against the AfD are certainly not completely altruistic; after all, companies like Würth themselves would be affected by the party’s plans. But that doesn’t make them any less important.
Because German society needs clear words for a strong democracy and cannot hear them often enough or from enough directions. The oft-quoted firewall to the right consists of many building blocks and must be maintained by the entire society, including the economy.