German Freedom Party

Freedom – Civil Rights Party for More Freedom and Democracy (Die Freiheit – Bürgerrechtspartei für mehr Freiheit und Demokratie), also known as The Freedom (German: Die Freiheit), was a political party in Germany which identified as conservative-liberal[4] or classical liberal.[1] The party, described by German mainstream media as right-wing populist,[5][6] was known for its criticism of Islam.[5][6]

Freedom – Civil Rights Party for More Freedom and Democracy
Die Freiheit – Bürgerrechtspartei für mehr Freiheit und Demokratie
LeaderMichael Stürzenberger
ChairmanKarl Schmitt
Vice-ChairmanMarc Doll
FounderRené Stadtkewitz
Founded28 October 2010
Dissolved4 December 2016
Split fromChristian Democratic Union of Germany
Merged intoAlternative for Germany (de facto)
HeadquartersStorkower Straße 158
10407 Berlin
IdeologyClassical liberalism[1][2]
National liberalism
Direct democracy
Right-wing populism
Anti-Islam
Hard Euroscepticism
Political positionRight-wing to far-right[3]
International affiliationInternational Freedom Alliance
Colours    Blue and orange

It was founded in October 2010 by Berlin city parliamentarian René Stadtkewitz who had been expelled from the conservative CDU for inviting the Islamophobic Dutch politician Geert Wilders to Berlin. The party seeks the implementation of a direct citizen democracy based on the Swiss model and extensive changes in immigration and integration policy.[7]

History

Freedom was founded in October 2010 by René Stadtkewitz in the wake of the immigration debate spurred by the then-member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank Thilo Sarrazin.[8] The Berlin city parliamentarian Stadtkewitz was expelled from the Christian Democratic Union in 2010 after inviting Dutch politician Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom to hold a speech in Berlin. A number of other politicians who left their respective parties joined Stadtkewitz,[9] while prominent Islam and immigration critic Thilo Sarrazin refused participation in the new party, but fought to stay in his Social Democratic Party and stated that the immigration and integration issues had to be discussed inside the major parties.[10] In June 2011, the party expanded, founding state associations in ten German states.[11][12]

The 2011 Berlin state election was the first election the party participated in. Freedom won 1.0% of the popular vote.[13]

In 2016 the party stated that its objectives had largely been adopted by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and was subsequently dissolved by its members.

Ideology
Campaign poster for the Munich local elections 2014

Freedom identifies as a conservative-liberal[4] or classical liberal[1][2] party. Stadtkewitz himself has explained that his party would be more liberal than the FDP, less statist than the SPD and more anti-political establishment than the German Greens.[2]

Some of their core issues included:[14]

  • The introduction of direct citizen democracy based on the Swiss model.
  • Tougher measures on crime
  • The reduction of immigration to deal with integration issues.
  • Support of Israel.
  • Stricter social welfare policies.
  • Withdrawal from the European Union.
  • Combatting the "Islamisation of Germany."

The program of the party was modeled after the one of the Dutch Party for Freedom, founded and led by Geert Wilders.[10]

Some German media have variously described the party as right-wing populist,[10][15] islamophobic,[5][6] and conservative.[16]

The party called for critical observation of imams, mosques, and Islamic schools and for a review of Islamic organizations to ensure their compliance with German laws, and condemned efforts to build a parallel legal structure based on sharia.[17]

International cooperation

Freedom received support from Dutch politician Geert Wilders, leader and founder of the Party for Freedom, who announced his intention to include the party in his International Freedom Alliance project.[18] Politician Oskar Freysinger of the Swiss People's Party gave a speech on the occasion of Freedom's founding event in Bavaria.[11] In 2012, the party took part in a "Global Counter Jihad rally" in Stockholm, Sweden along with other groups such as Stop Islamization of Nations (SION), and party leader Michael Stürzenberger was simultaneously leader of the German section of Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE).[19]

References
  1. van Bebber, Werner (10 September 2010), ""Die Freiheit" soll rechts sein, liberal – und anders als andere", Der Tagesspiegel, retrieved 22 August 2011
  2. "Islamgegner Wilders plant Rede in Berlin", Der Tagesspiegel, 20 September 2010
  3. Lang, Andreas. "The Austrian danger of a self-fulfilling prophecy of political and religious radicalization". Le Sursaut.
  4. "René Stadtkewitz gründet bürgerlich-liberale Partei". Junge Freiheit (in German). 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  5. Gutsch, Jochen-Martin (1 June 2011), "Riding the Wave of Islamophobia: The German Geert Wilders", Spiegel Online, retrieved 21 July 2011
  6. "Rechtspopulismus: Keinen Fußbreit", Die Zeit (in German), retrieved 21 July 2011
  7. Bielicki, Jan (February 2011), "Anti-Islam-Partei "Die Freiheit": Geert Wilders light", Süddeutsche Zeitung, retrieved 30 August 2011
  8. "A false prophet". The Economist. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  9. Der Berliner Abgeordnete Rene Stadtkewitz gründet neue Bürgerrechtspartei Die Freiheit. Press release of the party. 10 Sep 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  10. Kensche, Christine (30 August 2011), "Der deutsche Wilders will kein Rassist sein", WELT Online, retrieved 30 August 2011
  11. Stumberger, Rudolf (6 June 2011), ""Die Freiheit" nun auch in Bayern", Neues Deutschland (in German), retrieved 21 July 2011
  12. "Proteste gegen Parteitag zur Gründung von Die Freiheit in Hessen", nh24.de (in German), 6 June 2011, archived from the original on 23 August 2011, retrieved 21 July 2011
  13. "Home". wahlen-berlin.de.
  14. Presentation of the party platform on DieFreiheit.org Archived 9 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. "Obdachlose Rechtspopulisten", Süddeutsche Zeitung, 11 January 2011, retrieved 30 August 2011
  16. "Wer verbirgt sich hinter der neuen konservativen Partei "Die Freiheit"?", Focus Online, retrieved 22 August 2011
  17. "Germany's Freiheit Party Joins the Fray | National Review Online". National Review. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  18. "Geert Wilders - Ich, Retter des Abendlands", Die Zeit (in German), retrieved 21 July 2011
  19. "International counter-jihad organisations". Hope not hate. 11 January 2018.
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