Current hour on disturbances in the Bundestag
That should perk up: At the beginning of its session today, the Bundestag will deal with the disturbances caused by AfD sympathizers in the rooms of parliament.
Among other things, Minister of Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier (CDU) was harassed and insulted before the vote on the Infection Protection Act last Wednesday.
Above all, representatives of the Union and the SPD should use the current hour to criticize the AfD faction.
Some of their MPs had let the troublemakers into the Bundestag as guests.
One can be curious about the excuses of the AfD superiors, they are known to be masters at twisting facts.
First they incite people, in the end they don't mean anything like that.
You know the game.
Hypocrisy is part of the AfD's business model.
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AfD MPs in the Bundestag
Photo: via www.imago-images.de / imago images / Political-Moments
The really interesting question will now be whether the troublemakers or the AfD MPs who let them in will have to reckon with consequences.
Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP) told the dpa news agency that it could be assumed that the interferers were coercing the MPs.
A criminal offense under Section 106 of the Criminal Code would be considered, to which MPs could also incite or abet.
"This will have to be examined seriously," said Kubicki.
"Sensitive sanctions for the MPs involved must also be considered."
Section 106 deals with coercion of the Federal President and members of a constitutional body.
It provides for prison sentences of three months to five years and in particularly serious cases of up to ten years.
Troublemakers before voting in the Bundestag: Council of Elders examines legal action against AfD MPs
AfD has to pay
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Money from Switzerland for the AfD
Photo: Valentin Flauraud / picture alliance / dpa
Speaking of hypocrites: one of the basic rules of political business is that it is always worth paying special attention to a politician who stylizes himself as a clean man and describes others as corrupt.
Usually it's the other way around.
With the right-wing populists of the AfD, such cases of notorious double-faced situations are particularly common.
This is shown by the scandal surrounding disguised party donations, which has once again had serious consequences for the party.
According to SPIEGEL information, the party has to pay fines totaling 504,429.36 euros for illegally accepting two illegal “straw man donations” from Switzerland.
The background to the first penalty payment of 108,412 euros is the financing of the AfD-organized congress »European Visions - Visions for Europe« on February 13, 2016. As SPIEGEL revealed in June 2017, part of the event costs was over from obscure sources an advertising agency in Switzerland was financed.
The Bundestag administration now assessed this funding as an illegal party donation and issued a penalty notice three times as high.
The second sanction notice of 396,016.56 euros results from a payment for the election campaign of Alice Weidel, who is now the chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, which is also classified as an illegal party donation.
Illegal donations: AfD has to pay a fine of 500,000 euros
Does the Greens base put a damper on the bosses?
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Greens bosses Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock
Photo: KAY NIETFELD / AFP
The Greens start their three-day party conference today.
Usually this is a pretty happy event.
But because of the corona crisis, the meeting will largely take place online, which is of course not that nice.
The main focus of the party congress will be on the basic program.
There are no personnel decisions pending, the party leaders Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck are undisputed, the K-question should only be clarified in the spring of next year.
A party congress completely without tension?
Not quite.
There are a few interesting decisions to be made.
The green party base could oppose the wishes of the party leadership and demand referendums.
Or - more unlikely, but more exciting - against the will of the Greens leadership, write an unconditional basic income in the basic program.
In addition, the Greens are planning a reform of the party: The quorum for the submission of motions and amendments is to be increased.
So far, 20 votes are enough to put a motion on the agenda.
The processing takes a lot of time and nerves.
That's why the party leadership wants to change the statutes.
Basic members see intra-party democracy at risk and have been mobilizing against the reform for months.
It is quite possible that Baerbock and Habeck will not get away with this matter, says my colleague Valerie Höhne from the SPIEGEL capital city office.
She will report on the party congress for our readers.
Group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt: "The Greens have never been a pacifist party"
Loser of the day ...
... is the former mayor of New York,
Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani
.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, he was hailed as a hero because he succeeded in such an inimitable way to give new courage to the wounded city of New York.
"Rudy" was "America's Mayor," a political superstar.
Past.
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Rudy Giuliani at his press conference on the alleged election fraud
Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP
Giuliani is now a ruthless gambler.
His actions are very dangerous for democracy in the US.
As a loyal companion of Donald Trump, he spreads conspiracy myths.
On Thursday he spread confused allegations about manipulated computer programs from Venezuela, with which the results of the US election were falsified in a "national conspiracy".
Then, curiously, Giuliani ran a black juice down his temple, probably a hair dye, which led to a lot of ridicule on the Internet: "Rudy" has an oil leak like an old Buick, says one blasphemer.
That looks funny at first glance.
Unfortunately, too many Americans still believe Giuliani's stories.
The good news: Fortunately, even staunchly conservative Fox News commentators like Karl Rove are shaking their heads at Rudy, also because he never provides evidence of his wild accounts.
Giuliani and the other Trump attorneys should prove their "strange" claims in court, Rove etched.
If they couldn't, they'd have to take back what was said.
Right.
But it would be even better if Rudy would finally retire forever.
The latest news from the night
Trump's new tactic for maintaining power:
Joe Biden was also able to prevail against Donald Trump in Michigan.
This does not want to accept that and complained.
Now the incumbent US president is apparently following a different strategy
Almost every fifth child grows up in an armed conflict:
From Afghanistan to Iraq to Mali: worldwide, more than 400 million minors live in or extremely close to conflict areas.
Above all, humanitarian aid does not reach them
»You suddenly sleep in a museum«:
Barack Obama grants Markus Lanz an audience to talk about the first volume of his memoirs.
A good choice.
He could hardly have found a better conversation partner for this purpose in Germany
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I wish you a good start to the day.
Your Roland Nelles