Thousands of Germans took to the streets on Saturday to protest against right-wing extremism, with the “Omas gegen Rechts” (Grandmothers against the Right) action group at the forefront of the demonstrations. With over 30,000 members, the group has gained significant media attention and political relevance in recent months.
Although the group claims to be “unpartisan” and “neutral” it has been particularly active in protesting against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and, more recently, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz over his asylum policy and perceived shift to the right.
Research by the news portal Nius has revealed that the group receives state subsidies. Over the past three years, several local “Oma” groups have received €18,000 from the Family Ministry and an additional €5,000 from the Federal Chancellery. The group also receives strong PR support in the media and organizational assistance, with the government-backed Amadeu-Antonio-Stiftung supporting the group’s first national congress in Erfurt in 2024.
The group’s training programs also include communication training, with the Amadeu-Antonio-Stiftung reporting on a seminar for 13 participants between the ages of 61 and 75, where they learned to counter false information and right-wing talking points with the help of a professional communication trainer.
The Amadeu-Antonio-Stiftung itself receives funding from the “Demokratie leben” (Democracy Lives) program, with a total of €8.8 million in funding since 2015.
Another key player in organizing the protests is the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND, or Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation in Germany), which also receives state funding, including from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, led by Robert Habeck of the Green Party.
The BUND uses its funding not only for climate-related initiatives but also for its “Brandmauer” (Border Wall) protests, with the organization calling for demonstrations in small towns and major cities, including Meppen, Stuttgart and Cologne.
Campact, a key organizer of the protests, does not receive state funding but is a co-founder and main partner of the non-profit HateAid, which received almost €2.5 million from the Family Ministry in 2020. This means that Campact also benefits from the funding of the Ministry, led by the Green Party.
Campact has also spent money on the electoral campaigns of the Left, the Greens and the Social Democratic Party in the eastern German states and regularly initiates petitions against the AfD.
In recent weeks, the protests have expanded to include anti-migration policy demonstrations, with a particularly large demonstration in Munich, organized by the Before group, whose chair is a Social Democratic Party councilor. In other cities, the “Zusammen gegen Rechts” (Together against the Right) network was active, with Campact behind this initiative as well.
The Swiss portal Weltwoche described the state-funded network as a “frivolous” shadow organization, but the revelations by Nius have not yet triggered a wider reaction in the German press, with the exception of the Springer media outlets Bild and Welt, as well as the independent journalist Boris Reitschuster, who criticized the pressure on employees to participate in the “democracy demonstrations” and the negative consequences for those who refuse to show their support.