A German member of parliament, Tobias Teich of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has defended a recent social media post expressing regret that only the third verse of the “Song of the Germans” is sung as the national anthem
In comments to the “Welt” newspaper, Teich stated, “A sovereign nation affirms its symbols without fear and without diminishing them” He acknowledged the third verse remains the official anthem but argued the first two verses are part of Germany’s cultural heritage and should not be overshadowed by a relatively short, albeit terrible, period in history
Professor Heike Radvan, specializing in right-wing extremism research at the University of Tübingen, strongly criticized Teich’s position She asserted to “Welt” that the MP’s call aligns with a long tradition of right-wing historical revisionism, characterized by downplaying the crimes of the Nazi regime, reinterpreting them positively and laying claim to territories that legally belong to neighboring countries following World War II
Radvan further explained that the first verse carries strong nationalist connotations and advocating for its inclusion in the national anthem would signal an attempt to close off necessary discussions about the atrocities committed during the Nazi era-a stance she deems contrary to democratic principles
Teich refuted these claims, stating that German history spans far more than twelve years and questioning the idea of reducing a centuries-old cultural history to a single, short period
The AfD parliamentary group, however, distanced itself from its member’s post A spokesperson for the group told “Welt” that Teich’s comments represent a personal opinion, reaffirming the group’s position that the third verse of the “Song of the Germans” remains the national anthem and that the AfD parliamentary group doesn’t intend to change that