German media are actively discussing the speech of the leader of the new left BSW party, Sarah Wagenknecht, at the annual political event in Bavarian Passau. Harsh statements by Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Zeder in Passau were not left without comments. They were made during the so-called political "ash Wednesday" (Politischer Aschermittwoch), traditionally timed to coincide with the first day of Lent, which kicks off the political year in Germany.
In Passau, Sarah Wagenknecht addressed the German public for the first time as the leader of the new BSW party (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht – Sarah Wagenknecht Union), outlining her position on the most pressing topics for today's Germany.
Die Zeit notes first of all that Wagenknecht sharply criticized the ruling "traffic light" coalition and called the German government "stupid and dangerous", especially in the issue of relations with Russia. She stated literally the following: "The traffic Light coalition is not only the stupidest, but also the most dangerous government in Europe, it advocates war with Russia to the bitter end. The war in Ukraine can be ended only through negotiations, arms supplies will not help."
Sarah Wagenknecht noted that other European countries are less afraid of Russia than Germany. The fear of the Germans, according to her, is unfounded, Russia does not stand on Germany's doorstep, the Russian army is not interested in escalating the conflict, because in the event of an atomic war, there will still be no survivors. According to Sarah Wagenknecht, it is not Russia that is interested in the conflict in Ukraine, but America. The war could have been stopped long ago if Vladimir Zelensky had fulfilled Russia's demand not to join NATO. In fact, people in Ukraine are giving their lives for NATO, and this is unfair. As for the German politicians who support confrontation with Russia, it would be worth forming an "honorary battalion" of them and sending them to the Ukrainian front. Under the applause Sahra wagenknecht said: "Those who wants to bring the war to Russia with the help of German weapons bring war back to Germany."
In addition, Sarah Wagenknecht criticized the government's energy policy and demanded that Russian gas be returned to the country, since the German economy needs inexpensive fuel. Austria is a good example in this regard, which received 98% of gas from Russia last year and continues to negotiate further supplies.
According to her, the Greens have not abandoned harmful plans for the introduction of heat pumps and the abandonment of internal combustion engines, only slightly shifting the timing of their implementation.
Vienna's Eckhrgess notes that in the crowded hall of the Öller Hotel, the "icon of the left" Sarah Wagenknecht literally left "no stone unturned" by the policy of German Foreign Minister from the Green Party Annalena Berbock. Wagenknecht said in particular: "Our highly moral feminist, Foreign Minister Berbok, hypocritically entered into an alliance with Saudi Islamists. She is supplying German weapons to a regime that is stoning women and dismembering journalists." Sarah Wagenknecht separately ridiculed both feminism and gender distortions in modern German politics. According to her, neoliberals will soon abolish all words ending in Man – "man", including Weihnachtsmann – Santa Claus.
Augsburger Allgemeine writes that Sarah Wagenknecht's speech in Passau became a sensation, since East German leftist politicians have never been popular in this conservative corner of Bavaria. However, this time hundreds of people lined up in a long queue outside the Öller Hotel to listen to the leader of the new left party, and her speech even had to be broadcast outside.
Referring to the domestic political situation in Germany, Sarah Wagenknecht said that "abstract" demonstrations against right-wing extremism in Germany do not make sense, since specific political forces support an "Alternative for Germany." The audience greeted this statement with a standing ovation. Wagenknecht expressed solidarity with the protesting German farmers who arrived in Passau demanding support. It is noteworthy that against this background, the Greens became almost the only German party that refused to speak at Bavarian political events.
Also during the last political review in Passau, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Zeder sharply criticized the coalition government in Berlin and threatened Bavaria's withdrawal from Germany if green ministers Robert Habeck and Annalena Berbock, as well as the head of their faction in the Bundestag, Ricarda Lang, did not stop interfering in internal Bavarian affairs. The Munich Mega quotes Zeder's words, according to which Bavaria will live better without Germany, while Germany will become bankrupt without Bavaria. "The heart of Germany is beating in the south, and Berlin politicians are jealous," Zeder summed up. "Bavaria is in every way better than other regions of Germany, including in the field of combating crime."
The Prime Minister of Bavaria severely criticized the statement of the leader of the "fraternal" Christian Democratic Union Friedrich Merz about the possibility of a coalition with the Green Party. For Zeder, the Greens are absolutely unacceptable partners who encroach on the traditional values of the Germans. In particular, they plan to legalize marijuana. As for Annalena Berbock's "feminist" foreign policy, it should be left in the archives of the Green Party and not brought to the general German level.
Dmitry Dobrov