Where have we come to where people are being beaten up just because they have the wrong political opinion from the perspective of the perpetrators? The foundations of our society are currently eroding. This is also poison for the economy. What we need now is a miracle of democracy.

Our constitution came into force on May 23, 1949. 75 years later, more and more people are trampling on it. The most recent incidents: the attack on the SPD politician Matthias Ecke in Saxony. He was beaten so badly while hanging election posters in Dresden that he had to be hospitalized. The alleged perpetrators are just 17 and 18 years old.

The Berlin police also reported several attacks on people hanging election posters. And Franziska Giffey was physically attacked in a library.

Individual cases? A few teenagers or psycho troublemakers? Not at all. What is emerging is a substantial threat to our entire country and our coexistence. The foundations of our society are eroding. Many people today simply don’t care about the set of values ​​we agreed upon together 75 years ago. Or even an eyesore. The dignity of fellow human beings is no longer inviolable.

In Thuringia alone, the number of attacks on officials and elected officials or party institutions more than doubled between 2020 and 2023. The situation is similar in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. Everyone has the right to life and physical integrity, it is stated in the Basic Law. It is increasingly becoming a paper tiger.

Where have we come to where people are being beaten up just because they have the wrong political opinion from the perspective of the perpetrators? Or stand for a political system that you don’t like?

Ana-Cristina Grohnert is a German top manager. She was Human Resources Director at Allianz Germany and a member of the management team at Ernst

The rest of us, the upright against the right, demonstrate against hatred and incitement using the hashtag

The USA shows where a democratic society can still drift today, where a man who himself stands for exclusion could soon become president for the second time. He promotes division rather than cohesion. To the cheers of his supporters.

For us, the AfD takes on this part. Exactly ten years ago, she succeeded in entering a supra-regional parliament for the first time in the European elections. She has been a member of the Bundestag since 2017 – and has poisoned the climate more and more since then. “We will hunt them down,” AfD veteran Gauland once said about his political opponent. Many of his followers now take this literally.

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This is not only poison for our community, it is also poison for the economy. Economists now fear immense damage to Germany’s image. The economist Monika Schnitzer, for example, warns in the Handelsblatt of negative economic consequences for Germany. Made in Germany no longer stands for quality – but for uncertainty.

Dear 17- and 18-year-old alleged perpetrators of Dresden, what does that mean for you? Your actions will continue to bring prosperity to us – and you can get the next games console in your hair.

Yes, that was polemical. But that’s exactly what it’s about. Germany has been a guarantor of security in Europe over the past decades. For stability, a solid economy, reliable politics. People all over the world admired us for our prosperity and our social security.

These virtues seem to be gone in many cases. Instead of a sense of community, the formula “us against them (up there)” is increasingly taking hold.

The (in)action and poor communication of the current government are a good breeding ground for the seeds that the AfD has been spreading for years.

This makes it all the more important that the rest of us do exactly the opposite of what the haters stand for. So get involved ourselves. Germany is not “those up there”, Germany is all of us. It’s not “those up there” who have to change something, we all can and must.

After the Second World War, Germany needed an economic miracle. Today we need a democratic miracle. With people who lend a hand. Those who have the courage and determination to move our society forward. To put it quite selfishly, to preserve our prosperity and our freedom.

Article 3 of the Basic Law reads: All people are equal before the law. Which doesn’t mean we all have to be the same or think the same. Our country thrives on diversity – of opinions and people. And the tolerance towards them. Listening promotes cohesion. Yelling only promotes one thing: hatred.

And don’t forget: the European elections are on June 9th. All German citizens aged 16 and over can cast their vote and thus contribute to our democratic basic order. Voting means helping to shape the future of Europe. An alliance space that needs stability, unity, solidarity and strength, especially in the current crisis-ridden times.