Mar 01, 2023
Study on the Monday Demonstrations – protesters have a fundamentally different understanding of democracy
Protesters at the Monday Demonstrations – far-right marches which are currently being held primarily in eastern Germany – have a fundamentally different understanding of democracy and a different perception of Germany from the majority. They are united by a deep-seated dissatisfaction with government policy. This is the result of a qualitative study undertaken by the Berlin think tank, Das Progressive Zentrum and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, titled “Mir reicht’s Bürger – Analyse der „Montagsdemonstrationen“ in Chemnitz und Gera im Winter 2022/23” (“The ‘I’ve had it’ Citizens – An Analysis of the Monday Demonstrations in Chemnitz and Gera in the Winter of 2022/23”).
On three Mondays in November 2022 and and three Mondays in January 2023, researchers from Technische Universität Dresden conducted just short of 200 interviews in Chemnitz and Gera as part of this study. The interviews were led by Erik Vollmann, Research Associate at the Chair of Political Systems and Comparative Politics at TU Dresden. Teams of two to three people were on site per city, per day. “We had a total of eight interviewers working on the job. In addition to myself, these included TU Dresden students Matti Fraunholz, Eva Leipold and André Thiele,” reports Erik Vollmann. While conducting interviews, the researchers experienced dismissal and suspicion from the interviewees, but also genuine delight that someone was listening to them. Erik Vollmann recounts, “It was fascinating to see that many people were keen to defend themselves against being labeled right wing – even if they were not questioned to this effect. They are worried about their image. Most do not see themselves as extreme. Some find it a shame that there are currently no other channels for their resentment except the demonstrations, which are also co-organized by right-wing extremists. Nevertheless, we also found, above all, strong opposition to Covid policy measures and migration, and even conspiracy theories among the demonstrators.”
The focus point for analysis was the motivations and perspectives of the protesters who do not belong to the extreme right. The study makes it clear that those surveyed have a fundamentally different understanding of democracy in comparison to the majority of people in Germany. They see themselves as “true democrats.” As they see it, the “will of the people” is being overlooked by the government, and distorted by parties, factions and international committees. As a result, the state does not act first and foremost for the national interests of the Germans, according to the interviewees. “Every public reconsideration, statement of doubt, or compromise on the part of the government is perceived as a sign of weakness or evidence of a flawed democracy,” explains Paulina Fröhlich, co-author of the study. She is the Deputy Managing Director and heads the “Resilient Democracy” focus of the Berlin Think Tank Das Progressive Zentrum. In her view, policymakers could respond by providing more support for civic education and bolstering people’s understanding of liberal democracy. “Liberal democracy must be explained proactively and we must promote pluralism. The Law for the Promotion of Democracy (Demokratiefördergesetz) can form an important foundation for this.” The interviews paint the picture of a solidified group of protesters who have already proved their potential to mobilize on an even wider scale many times over.
The rejection of all governmental action is a common theme of the interviews. The most cited reason for participation in the demonstrations was criticism of Germany’s reaction to the war in Ukraine, followed by dissatisfaction with Covid policy. While discontent with energy policy also brings many people out onto the streets, social concerns play a minor role in the wake of price increases.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, many protesters believe this is not “our war” and Russia is “not the enemy.” On the contrary, they see the USA as the “puppet master.” The demonstrators are also critical of German foreign policy – they believe Germany is primarily harming itself and that there is no alternative to good relations with Russia. General concern for Germany’s future as a top business location is extremely high – those interviewed said that sanctions against Russia predominantly affect the German economy and that the concerns of the middle class (such as high inflation) go ignored. For many respondents, Germany’s Green Party, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, is directly responsible for these bleak economic prospects. They claim that climate policy such as the rapid switch to renewable energy could endanger Germany’s industry. However, environmental protection as a topic in general does not meet with unequivocal disapproval. “Whether we should protect the environment or not is not a question for this group. Instead, the feasibility of climate protection that safeguards prosperity must be better argued and communicated,” says the study's co-author Florian Ranft. He is a member of the management board and heads the “Green New Deal” area of work for Das Progressive Zentrum. With the region of Germany they surveyed in mind, he suggests, “We believe it is also worth exploring the question of feasibility against the backdrop of the major societal changes people in eastern Germany have experienced in setting up the Future Center of German Unity.”
As a whole, mistrust of political parties and frustration with politicians is very pronounced among the demonstrators. The Greens in particular are criticized as not being capable of governing. In comparison to the prominence of the Greens as a main focus of the interviews, the lack of attention given to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the two other governing parties – the SPD and FDP – is striking. Government initiatives such as the relief packages are also hardly ever mentioned. “The protests channel a general sense of dissatisfaction and the feeling that one's own interests are not being taken into account in politics, but there are hardly any concrete political demands. Although these protests are by no means representative of a mass phenomenon, they do harbor a considerable threat to democracy and solidarity – especially in situations when they are underestimated politically and socially,” explains Dr. Kai Unzicker of the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Although both supporters of the right-wing populist AfD party and their ideological positions were very present at the protests, this party is surprisingly seldom credited with offering solutions the problems during the interviews. However, two individuals are always spoken of positively: Alice Weidel, Co-Chair of the AfD’s faction in the Bundestag, and Sahra Wagenknecht, politician for the left-wing party, Die Linke. They are seen as authentic and competent politicians.
Co-author Erik Vollmann assesses the significance of these protests for the east of Germany, stating, “The differing perceptions of democracy and Germany between the majority of the population and the protesters at the Monday Demonstrations could impact the political landscape of eastern Germany. The organizers may succeed in pushing their agenda in the state elections in Saxony, Brandenburg, and Thuringia in the summer and fall of 2024, and in imposing an anti-democratic influence on discourse.”
Methodology:
The interviews were conducted between November 7, 2022 and January 23, 2023 on six Mondays in Chemnitz and Gera. For each date, two to three interviewers were on location per city. We did not collect sociodemographic information. Instead, we created an anonymized short profile after each interview (gender, age group, occupation and financial situation as reported by the interviewee). We conducted 195 interviews with 257 people in total (123 in Chemnitz and 72 in Gera). The estimated interview time ranged from three to 25 minutes.
Contact:
Erik Vollmann
Chair of Political Systems and Comparative Politics
Tel.: +49 351 463-32889
Maren Hölscher
Communication Manager, Das Progressive Zentrum
Tel.: +49 1520 4719476