Antifa tweet from SPD leader Esken: Grüner leads Seehofer into the field - debate escalates

SPD leader Saskia Esken responds to Donald Trump's Antifa threat. But her tapered tweet is irritating to the Union. 

• SPD leader Saskia Esken polarized with an Antifa tweet. 
• In doing so, she responded to an announcement by US President Donald Trump .
• Critics now accuse her of solidarity with anti-constitutional and politically extreme groups. 

Update from June 1, 9:45 pm: SPD leader Saskia Esken's “Antifa Tweet” caused heated debates on Whit Monday - politicians from almost all parties went to the verbal Infight on Twitter on the holiday. Green domestic politician Konstantin von Notz even put Horst Seehofer in the field as a key witness for Esken - and got headwinds from the FDP and the Junge Union (JU).

Even Seehofer was on the interior committee of the Dt. Bundestag already referred to as anti-fascists. Rightly and correctly. What you write is either underexposed or forgotten, both in doubt, who is responsible for this account @ TKuban96? #AntiFa https://t.co/OFSTuutbPW

Even Seehofer had already described himself as an anti-fascist in the Bundestag's interior committee, said von Notz - and criticized a tweet from the JU as "underexposed or forgotten about history". The counter came from JU boss Tilman Kuban personally. "As a democrat, I am an anti-fascist because fascism and democracy are mutually exclusive," he said - "and democrats also distance themselves from Antifa because it fights our free-democratic basic order!"

The vice chief of the Young Liberals - the youth organization of the FDP - Phil Hackemann, also did not want to accept the objection. "We are all 'anti-fascists', 'Antifa' is not," he clarified. However, the former CDU general secretary Ruprecht Polenz turned to the other side in the debate - and also slowed down CSU general Markus Blume . Eskens' tweet should be understood against the background of the history of the SPD, he said. And recommended to the "stunned" flower, according to its own statements, "to get back together".

SPD leader Esken outraged CDU and CSU with Antifa tweet - "Unbelievable", "stupidity"

First announcement: Berlin / Washington - The SPD chair Saskia Esken and US President Donald Trump should have little in common, especially politically. However, they all have one thing in common: both like to tweet and polarize there again and again. Now they tweeted on the same topic: Antifa. 

While right-wing populist US President Donald Trump wants to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization after the sometimes violent protests following the death of African American George Floyd, the 58-year-old social democrat shows solidarity with the anti-fascists. The entire SPD federal executive board also joined the digital. 

Antifa tweet from Esken: "Of course for Democrats"

157 and Antifa. Of course. https://t.co/acdxoL7kbi

But this is exactly where the discussion that Saskia Esken's tweet triggers: Does Antifa equate to all anti-fascists? No, many think that commenting on Esken's post. "The SPD chairwoman is very serious about this organization," someone writes stunned and linked an article by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This refers to the local groups of the anti-fascist action, which are often classified as autonomous and extreme left . In any case, there is no central “Antifa organization” behind it - this is also made clear by Esken, who is resisting criticism: “Antifa is not an organization. Anti-fascism is an attitude that should be taken for granted by Democrats. " 

But there is no room for differentiation on Twitter - which the SPD chair should also be aware of.

The "Antifa" tweet from SPD leader Saskia Esken polarized.

© dpa / Jan Woits, Kay Nietfeld

Antifa tweet from Esken: CSU member of the Bundestag finds him "incredible"

Other commentators call themselves anti-fascists, but reject Antifa. Even more: They accuse the Antifa groups of "fascist methods" themselves. “Every democrat is against fascism. But no upright democrat is a friend of Antifa, ”says a critic. Even with the coalition partner CDU / CSU, some are irritated, like the CSU member of the Bundestag Stefan Müller . For him, Esken's Twitter post is even “incredible”. The Hessian Minister for Federal and European Affairs, Lucia Puttrich (CDU) , tweeted: “Now there are no more doubts. Saskia Esken is better off with the left. Downplaying violence is impossible. ”Puttrich adds a #foolishness. 

Incredible: The party leader von Brandt and Schmidt sympathizes with #Antifa! https://t.co/Eod3NKQSTA

Antifa tweet from Esken: The Austrian sister party is backtracking

In contrast, the SPÖ , the Austrian sister party of the Social Democrats, apparently has more problems with the "Antifa" abbreviation. A tweet similar to the Eskens website was quickly removed and a classification posted: “We deleted the Antifa tweet. We mean, of course, anti-fascists who, for example, liberated Mauthausen 75 years ago. ”

We have deleted the Antifa tweet. We mean, of course, anti-fascists who, for example, liberated Mauthausen 75 years ago. Anyone who wants and likes can appear at the #Blacklivesmatter rally. Please keep a safe distance and take MNS with you. pic.twitter.com/kcW3rg8I2k

Others defend Esken: “A critically differentiated view of 'Antifa' should not hide the fact that Antifa activists have been doing important demo and research work against fascism for many years, without which we would look very old in some areas "Says a Twitter user under the contribution of the SPD chair. 

However, the Antifa discussion is not only fierce on the profile of Saskia Esken. On Whit Monday, the hashtag even reached number one in Twitter trends in Germany. This is how Donald Trump has achieved what he has been concerned with since entering politics: Attention. 

With colorful sneakers from San Francisco, the new SPD chairwoman Saskia Esken triggered a Twitter shit storm in December. 

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List of rubric lists: © dpa / Jan Woits, Kay Nietfeld