2024-08-31 06:15:30
The AfD’s poll ratings are causing concern among business representatives. The retail company Edeka is publishing an election appeal and warning against “blue”.
A few days before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, retailers are also taking a stand. The supermarket chain Edeka published a full-page appeal in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, in the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” and on social networks. The ad is titled “Why blue is not an option at Edeka”. This is to be understood as an allusion to the AfD, which has used blue as its party color since its founding.
The advert shows numerous types of fruit and vegetables such as cucumbers, broccoli, bananas, cherries and strawberries. “The fruit and vegetable department is full of colourful variety,” the text says. “Evolution has taught us: blue is not a good choice,” it says. “In Germany, blue is already the biggest threat to a diverse society.”
The German Retail Association (HDE) also made a public statement this week. President Alexander von Preen called for the election of democratic parties. “I can only warn all actors against shifting the rules of society towards exclusion and hatred. This will not lead society and the economy into a positive future, but into a dead end,” he said.
According to the HDE, there are currently around 120,000 vacancies in the retail sector. “Where are all the people supposed to come from if politicians who rely on exclusion and isolation come to power?” asked von Preen. He described the AfD as dangerous and irresponsible: “With Björn Höcke, one of the AfD’s leading figures has once again unmasked himself when he wished bankruptcy to family businesses that publicly support a campaign for diversity in society and the economy.”
Von Preen is referring to the “Made in Germany – Made by Diversity” campaign initiated by more than 40 German companies. Participants include the drugstore chain Rossmann, the chainsaw and garden equipment manufacturer Stihl, the food company Pfeifer & Langen, the household appliance manufacturer Vorwerk and the audio specialist Sennheiser. According to a report by MDR, Thuringia’s AfD top candidate Höcke described the campaign as hypocrisy at an election campaign event in Sömmerda at the weekend. “I hope that these companies will experience serious, serious economic turbulence,” he said.
The President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Siegfried Russwurm, also voiced criticism of the AfD. He feared that the AfD’s aggressive xenophobia would exacerbate the existing problem of the shortage of skilled workers in Germany, he told the “Welt” newspaper. If the AfD were to participate in government, it would cause enormous damage to the economy and prosperity in eastern Germany. The party wrongly portrays itself as the voice of the local small and medium-sized business sector.
Elections will take place in Saxony and Thuringia on Sunday. Current polls show the AfD receiving around 30 percent in both states.