Germany’s Christian Democrats have appointed a new senator for justice in Berlin known for her hardline stance against the right during her previous tenure in the Federal Office of the Constitutional Protection. The case illustrates the bizarre state in which the entire West has found itself — where political and judicial systems have been weaponized against ethnic Europeans unhappy with the status quo, often with the help of so-called “conservatives.”
The Federal Office of the Constitutional Protection monitors and takes law enforcement action against “threats” to the country’s constitution, and one of its top targets as of late is the opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD). Iranian-born Felor Badenberg is a key player in the domestic intelligence agency, currently serving as its vice president; she made a name for herself targeting the right, with the press going so far as to label her the “AfD hunter.”
Usually, in a democracy, a key intelligence authority being labeled a “hunter” of a major opposition party would be seen as a negative, but in Germany, democracy works a little differently.
First, it is worth noting why the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is even in a position to appoint Badenberg to the senator of justice and consumer protection position. The party pulled off a victory in February of this year after a court-ordered “do-over” election. Berlin with a CDU mayor is a bit of a surprise, but it will not essentially change the status quo in the city. If history is any guide, it may even make things worse, especially given its new alliance with the Social Democrats (SPD).
That is because the CDU is, after all, a faux “conservative” party. It takes a few token positions, like mild skepticism over green energy policy and Germany’s decision to shut down nuclear power, and attempts to use these non-controversial positions to cast itself as the alternative to the left-wing coalition government. Given voters’ short memories, the CDU is even attempting to castigate the current government for its radical immigration policies despite CDU’s previous leader, Angela Merkel, opening the doors to Syrians in 2015, resulting in over a million new arrivals.
Germany’s open immigration policy has also elevated many foreigners into positions of power, many of whose families were already admitted to the country decades ago. It is a phenomenon seen in many countries across the West, and these foreigners do not like the idea of any party that wants to close the door to more mass immigration. In Germany, not all of these foreigners join the Greens or other parties on the left — some have also made their way into the CDU.
That is why it should come as no surprise that Berlin’s CDU branch has nominated Badenberg. The 47-year-old came to Germany with her parents when she was 12 and developed her reputation of “fighting the right” while heading the department for right-wing extremism and terrorism. However, targeting this “extremism” and “terrorism” actually translated into cultivating a legal surveillance regime for one of the CDU’s chief political rivals. She is seen as being one of the key players in classifying the AfD as a “right-wing extremist threat” through a 1,000-page report she helped put together. Such a classification opened the door to extreme repression of the AfD in Germany, allowing her domestic spy agency to begin monitoring phone calls and emails of AfD members without any warrant or suspicion of criminal wrongdoing. Their only offense required for a phone tap, for example, is membership within the political party.
The left has also richly rewarded Badenberg’s service. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who has launched a campaign against the AfD while claiming right-wing extremism is the top threat facing the country, was behind promoting Badenberg to vice president in the Federal Office of the Protection of the Constitution.
Now, the CDU, in turn, is elevating Badenberg once again with her appointment to senator of justice. However, it is hardly surprising, as the CDU is just as enthusiastic as the left to promote an agenda to ban the entire AfD party, especially with the AfD rising in the polls, which represents a direct threat to the CDU’s electoral prospects.
The AfD is obviously opposed to the move, but the party has little recourse. The chairwoman of the Berlin AfD, Dr. Kristin Brinker, for example, said: “With the nomination of Badenberg, the CDU is making itself the tool of an ideological campaign against the pluralism of opinion in Germany…. We will also fight against the partisan instrumentalization of the justice department in the German capital.”
At a time when most Germans are turning against mass immigration, the major parties are looking for ways to tamp down the popularity of the immigration-restrictionist party. Badenberg is just another sign that the CDU is colluding with a range of other parties in Germany’s “faux” democracy to take out one of maybe two major parties opposed to the status quo.