Following the attack in Munich, which left two dead, the labor union movement has announced plans to continue with demonstrations and rallies. “We will not be intimidated” said Yasmin Fahimi, head of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “We owe it to the victims to keep fighting.”
On the previous Thursday, a man from Afghanistan drove his car into a demonstration of the Verdi trade union, killing a two-year-old child and its mother and injuring 38 others, some of them severely.
Fahimi expressed condolences for the victims, but also emphasized the need to continue the fight. The DGB will work together with the police to ensure the safety of participants at events and will review current security concepts to do so.
Fahimi warned against the “instrumentalization of this heinous crime by right-wing forces.” Among the victims and injured were people with a migration background, she noted. “We will never support an anti-foreigner course” she said.
Looking ahead to the economic crisis, Fahimi said that the next two to five years will be crucial for determining whether Germany will remain a strong economy. “Therefore, it is crucial that the next federal government launches an investment offensive, for a robust infrastructure, better social security and for the economy to grow again” she demanded.
She called for targeted incentives for companies that invest in the country and commit to preserving jobs, primarily in Germany. To make such investments possible, the debt brake should be relaxed, Fahimi said.
Criticism from the FDP, that such a reform would lead to higher social spending, was rejected by Fahimi. “It’s only about investing in the things that will determine our future prosperity” she said. Fahimi also expressed her hope that the FDP would rethink its political course, given its current leadership.