'Germany Is Back' – and That Should Scare Us All
In its crackdown on pro-Palestine speech, Germany has normalized racism and state violence in a way that goes beyond any conflict abroad, reminding us this really is the country of the 1920s, again.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz triumphantly announced earlier this year that “Germany is back!”
And he’s right. There may be a supposed ceasefire in Gaza, but the ugly spirits from the past have been unleashed.
The establishment whipped the full force of the state to support Israel, against the wishes of its own population, normalizing racism, propaganda, and state violence in a way that goes far beyond any conflict abroad, and reminds us that this really is the Germany of the 1920s, again.
The mask in this once-respected democracy is slipping, as dark forces in the country increasingly use the pretense of “protecting Jewish life” as the perfect excuse to act like fascists.
Once seen as a party capital and hub of free thinking, videos of extreme police violence have become one of Berlin’s primary cultural exports. Though they barely distinguish between beating women and arresting elderly Jews, the Berlin police have now gone even further, attacking politicians.