A German Social Democratic Party (SPD) Bundestag faction spokesperson, Michael Schrodi, has responded to a parliamentary inquiry by the Union faction with sharp criticism, questioning the non-profit status of several civil society and journalistic organizations.
“The Union’s inquiry is a clear provocation” Schrodi told the Handelsblatt (Thursday edition). “You don’t behave like that if you want to have constructive talks with each other afterwards” he added, looking ahead to potential coalition negotiations.
Schrodi described the inquiry as an “attack on civil society and all those who, with full force, set themselves up for our democracy – and that in a time when the values of our constitution are being challenged by various actors.” He accused the Union and Free Democratic Party (FDP) of trying to hinder or prevent this engagement, similar to the Alternative for Germany (AfD), since years.
Democracy in Germany does not only live from the state and political decision-makers, Schrodi emphasized, but also from an engaged civil society that gets involved in politics. “Our task is to create a secure legal environment for this important engagement” the SPD politician explained.
The Union faction in the Bundestag had previously submitted a small inquiry on the promotion of non-governmental organizations, including some that had called for the Brandmauer demonstrations. The inquiry comprises 551 questions about organizations such as Omas gegen Rechts, BUND and the research network Correctiv. Similar question catalogues to civil society associations had been submitted by the AfD at the state level in the past. Merz and his faction represent the view that state-funded organizations must maintain their political neutrality.
Programs like “Democracy lives” usually disburse state funds for specific projects of civil society organizations, with the condition that they must not be used for political purposes. In Germany, organizations can, in principle, take a political stance as long as no state funds are misused, even if they are mainly privately financed.