As of: February 27, 2024, 11:42 a.m
By: Stephanie Munk
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The Greens face a lot of hatred, both from citizens and from the CSU.
The Green MP Martin Stümpfig makes major accusations against Söder.
Munich – Whistles and boos during their public appearances are part of everyday life for politicians.
Recently, however, the Greens in particular have been met with blatant hatred and aggression.
The Greens had to cancel their political Ash Wednesday in Biberach, Swabia because of the aggressive mood.
During an appearance by Green Party leader Ricarda Lang, eggs flew and tons burned.
And heated clashes are also feared at the Green Party meeting, which begins on Tuesday (February 27) in Leipzig.
Martin Stümpfig, a member of the Green Party in the Bavarian state parliament, believes that in Bavaria, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) also share responsibility for the fact that the Greens have become an enemy.
In an interview with
Merkur.de
from
IPPEN.MEDIA
, he demands that the CSU and Free Voters end the highly offensive course against his party.
Mr. Stümpfig, it is primarily the Greens who are causing dissatisfaction with the traffic light government in the federal government.
Why do you think this is?
Of course, there are always many factors that come into play.
It has to be said: the circumstances since the federal government took office have been very difficult.
And we really should have done things like the Building Energy Act better.
There were also mistakes made in communication, of course.
But it was also the case that the entire election campaign of the CSU and Free Voters in Bavaria was focused solely on insulting the traffic lights.
And that's actually still the case with the two coalition partners.
The coalition of CSU and Free Voters only agree on one thing: when it comes to hitting the traffic lights.
This is very difficult for political discourse.
CSU Prime Minister Markus Söder during an appearance in the beer tent.
© Imago
Before the election, the Greens were Markus Söder's declared main enemy, and he categorically ruled out a coalition.
Has anything changed since the election?
I would actually have expected that things would get better after the election and that we would treat each other more objectively.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
We continue to see that whenever we debate in the state parliament, there are constant swipes at the traffic light coalition.
The most applause and the biggest laughs occur when the traffic light is particularly insulted.
This simply creates a basis for a politically heated atmosphere.
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Raising the mood against the Greens: “Söder has incredibly disappointed me”
Markus Söder said that the Greens have “no Bavarian gene”. Now on political Ash Wednesday he said that the Greens are “out” and he no longer wants to see them in the federal government.
What do sayings like this make you feel?
I am still horrified by Söder's statements like the Greens don't have the Bavarian gene.
What does that mean: we no longer belong?
And I also have to say that I can only shake my head about joining a coalition with Markus Söder.
Because he also disappointed me incredibly personally.
He simply doesn't have a values compass at the moment.
I don't know whether he'll find his way back.
At the political Ash Wednesday, I certainly didn't see Markus Söder taking a back seat.
In a phase like this, when the mood is already heated, Söder and Aiwanger continue to add fuel to the fire and I think that is very dangerous.
Martin Stümpfig is the spokesman for energy and climate protection for the Greens in the Bavarian state parliament.
© Private
What would you expect from Söder and Aiwanger?
I would like parties in government to care about the big picture.
And they ask themselves: How can we hold society together and not further divide it?
I would expect Söder and Aiwanger to act more prudently here and not continue this kind of populism.
Green Party hatred at demos: “You notice that it could tip over”
Don't political decisions made by the traffic lights also play a role in why the discontent is so great?
The cuts in agricultural diesel have led to a lot of anger among farmers.
The farmers' protest is legitimate and perfectly fine.
The burden is high and farmers have their backs against the wall.
That's why it's important to have an exchange here.
But setting up gallows with traffic light symbols on them is not an option.
The form of protest must be adapted and one must be allowed to say that.
I also expect the organizers from the farmers' association to demand this very clearly and say more clearly: Please, dear farmers, be careful who you join.
What reactions do you personally experience from citizens as a Green Party politician?
I come from Feuchtwangen, a small town in the Ansbach district.
The region is very rural in structure.
We had a big demonstration on January 8th, where I was invited to speak in front of 1,000 or 1,200 farmers.
I gave a short speech - it didn't go very well because I was booed and booed a lot.
But still: the conversations with the farmers before and after were loud, but I never felt threatened.
I've also had rubber boots thrown at my feet, but that was immediately stopped by the board of the farmers' association.
But it's the case that you notice that it could easily tip over.
But that wasn't the case for me personally.
“Söder is creating an illusionary world” – Greens as the ideal enemy of the CSU?
The traffic light government includes not only the Greens, but also the SPD and FDP.
Why are the Greens the main boo man right now?
My topic as energy policy spokesman for the Greens in the state parliament is the transformation of the economy in the energy and climate sectors.
These are of course major challenges that we have to tackle.
Society will have to change to some extent.
This ranges from mobility to heating to consumption.
But Markus Söder's communication is based on this: "If you vote for me, then everything will stay as it is." He creates an illusion of a world that will not exist, and the Greens are probably the best template for Söder as a counterpoint .
Will Söder stick to this strategy even in the face of the impending threat from the AfD?
The bad thing is actually: Söder is intelligent enough to know better.
He knows that the “keep it up, we don’t have to change” style that he tries to sell to people won’t work.
I can only hope that he soon realizes that this permanent escalation is dangerous.
And that he will do it differently in the future.
The interview was conducted by Stephanie Munk.