A coalition of non-governmental organization representatives has sharply criticized the Union’s parliamentary faction for submitting a “Small Enquiry” in the German Bundestag, comprising 551 questions regarding the financing and activities of various NGOs.
Monika Salzer, founder of “Omas gegen Rechts”, told the Tagesspiegel that the question catalog reminded her of dictatorships. She perceives the questions as insinuations. “In truth, the Union does not like our political orientation”, Salzer said, “it is our right to raise a warning voice and that’s what our Cardinal Schönborn did recently in the refugee sector as well.”
Daniel Drepper, chairman of the Journalists’ Association “Netzwerk Recherche”, speaks of a “dangerous development” if the Union questions the non-profit nature of established journalistic organizations. For the coming years, the opposite is needed: a strengthening of non-profit institutions, especially in journalism, he said. “We at Netzwerk Recherche will continue to promote independent, critical research journalism, which will be more in demand in the future, not less.