Brochure (and website) for the 2025 federal election
AfD / No alternative (for Germany)
The AfD pretends to be the voice of the “little people”. But when you take a closer look at their policies and the demands in their election program, it quickly becomes clear that a strengthening of the AfD can be described as a great danger for the majority of people under all circumstances. The AfD is increasingly revealing itself to be racist and represents an anti-progressive view of humanity. It denies man-made climate change
and wants to stop all climate protection measures – a disastrous step backwards for the future of our planet. The AfD is calling for massive tax cuts for the rich and corporations, while social benefits are to be cut. This will particularly affect people with low and middle incomes and all those who are already suffering severely from past and current crises and from inflation. Not a scrap of social justice! It also wants to leave the
EU and reintroduce the Deutschmark. This is not only retrogressive, but also economically devastating for Germany as an export nation. It would not only affect the gross domestic product or the economic situation of the German economy, but also the millions of people who would lose their jobs, their livelihoods and their prospects as a result of this policy. Nobody would be better off under an AfD government – quite the
opposite. We see that the AfD’s core ideology would undoubtedly only further exacerbate crises in the capitalist system, as well as current poverty and injustice. The situation of people worldwide, but also here in Germany, is expected to come to a head. The capitalist system is at an end: ever larger, more severe economic crises, the climate catastrophe, increasing scarcity of raw materials and distribution struggles,
which are fought as never-ending imperialist wars. It is no wonder that under these circumstances and with these prospects for the future, the population is becoming increasingly frustrated and without prospects. The current rise of the AfD is not coming out of nowhere. It is primarily fed by the concerns and fears of people whose prosperity
and livelihoods are under threat. The AfD finds scapegoats for this, as well as simple apparent solutions, and presents itself as an alternative to the other parties. It then blames the causes of the increasingly strained financial situation of many people on interchangeable bogeymen and scapegoats, such as refugees or the unemployed, who actually belong to the disadvantaged groups. It seems that the AfD, with its bogus
solutions and due to a lack of left-wing alternatives, will continue to be one of the winners of these developments. The AfD has recognized how profitable its role as a “protest party” and as the supposed voice of the “little people” is, without having to offer real solutions for actual change. Because the AfD clearly has less economic expertise than hollow right-wing populism, which is hardly suited to meet the current economic,
demographic and ecological challenges. Meanwhile, entire regions are at risk of being lost due to the emigration of people and companies. Instead of stability and recognition of life’s achievements, people are threatened with social decline and increased exploitation, and are increasingly running into the arms of right-wing populists. We see that right-wing populism is being used as a dangerous instrument in times of crisis, not
only by the AfD, but also increasingly by parties such as the CDU and the traffic light parties, in order to curry favor with the growing frustration in society and the voter base.
For us, this right-wing populism should not only be pointed out and condemned, but also the underlying breeding ground for right-wing populism, discriminatory ideologiesor even fascism must be recognized and fought at the root to enable real change and improvement for all. The AfD is not the solution to the crisis-ridden capitalist system
and no alternative, but a dangerous step backwards. Their policies intensify social inequalities, divide our society and ultimately protect the interests of corporations and the super-rich, just like the other parties. For us, anti-fascism means, in very concrete terms, exposing this party, pointing out real alternatives and fighting against right-wing
threats, for a just and solidary world, against division and for more class
consciousness!
AfD in Pforzheim
In Pforzheim, a city that has been infamous as an AfD stronghold for some time, the AfD is trying to expand its influence further. But what has the AfD achieved so far? Cuts to social programs and agitation against minorities. Despite having a majority in the municipal council, the AfD has only submitted about 15 proposals, half as many as Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (which has only 2 seats on the municipal council). As described in the previous section and frequently observed, the AfD’s policies are
nothing more than hot air. In times when Pforzheim, too, is facing ever greater challenges and urgently needs real change, the AfD’s policies and working methods not only endanger jobs and livelihoods, they also intensify social tensions, shamelessly incite hatred against various disadvantaged groups within our society, and brings no solutions to the table. For us, anti-fascism in Pforzheim and the region therefore means, above all, resolutely opposing the AfD and offering solidary perspectives and improvements locally.
CDU & the coalition parties – The accelerators of the shift to the right
The CDU likes to present itself as a bulwark against the AfD, but the truth is that its anti-social policies and racist rhetoric are continually pushing many voters into the AfD’s clutches. It is shifting the tone of public debate and helping to push back the boundaries of what can be said. The traffic light parties, on the other hand, promise progress and improvement, but when in government they repeatedly deliver anti-social compromises. Their climate policy measures, for example, are neither social nor fair
and do not address the area where the most CO2 is produced. Their climate policy burdens workers, while large corporations continue to reap astronomical profits in the billions. There is no talk of fair pay, redistribution or urgent investment in a future worth living. None of these parties even begins to question the system, which, as we have
shown, would be the key to combating the systemic crises at the root.
Tightening up on deportations and social cuts in the past, for example, has proven the opposite: instead of bringing about an improvement in society and people’s lives, for example through higher wages, more affordable housing, better working conditions and secure pensions, instead of addressing the concerns, needs, fears and interests of
the people, these parties prefer to continue to defend a system that exploits us all, divides us and wants to keep us down. We therefore ask the question: Do we want to live in a society that vehemently serves not our interests, but only the interests of corporations and billionaires?
Left-wing alternatives
But what is in our interest and what real alternatives are there? If we look at the parties in Germany, many will come to the understandable conclusion that a real change in favor of the wage-dependent population can hardly be found in any election program. However, this should not lead us to hang our heads and retreat into our increasingly expensive four walls! Politicians in Germany repeatedly emphasize that the only way to
change things or exert influence is to cast your vote on election day. The same ritual every four years: going to the ballot box, choosing the lesser of two evils, and above all, the mostly futile hope that you haven’t voted for the next disappointment. The hope that this time something will really change. Of course, tactical voting can be done out of consideration not to give too many percentages to racist parties such as the AfD. But it
certainly doesn’t feel satisfying and real change won’t come from it either. So what to do? Our answer is: get organized! In Pforzheim and the surrounding area, there are various groups and opportunities for you to get involved politically. This way, you can take matters into your own hands instead of waiting for others to do it (but not doing it). Of course, perspective is important here. When we say that fascism is backed by
capital, we mean that demonstrating against the AfD is a start, but it is not enough to bring fascism to its knees in the long term. We must not forget that fascism and misanthropy are only a symptom of the exploitative conditions that characterize capitalism. The AfD in government would be a disaster for large sections of the working
class, our class. The despair of the CDU and the coalition parties shows how at a loss the democratic parties are when dealing with the AfD. Their helplessness results in a shift to the right and a desperate scramble for votes. But they can’t really fight the AfD because they don’t address the root of the problem. They can’t fight the AfD because they don’t fight capitalism and its competitive pressure, and above all, they can’t fight
the AfD because they also benefit from the system of exploitation! Between ever more severe crises and the daily grind of wage labor, the impression arises that there is no way for us to break out of these conditions, this cage. It is easy to forget that WE are the ones who really have to nip the right-wing danger in the bud. In doing so, we have
many different means at our disposal, with solidarity as our greatest weapon!
Whether we demonstrate, block information booths or distribute leaflets. Whether we get involved in trade unions to fight shoulder to shoulder with our class brothers and sisters against exploitation and crisis. Whether we stand up against warmongering, the exploitation of our planet, against racism or patriarchy. These struggles shake the
pillars of the exploitative system. It is almost obvious: if we join forces and fight together, we can achieve far more than any tick on the endless ballot papers of the lesser evil. Real change begins with us – organize and fight with us for a better world!
Migration and crime
Wars and crises are no coincidence, but often the result of capitalist exploitation. The arms industry has been making billions in profits for years from these wars and crises and the resulting rising costs. This is mainly due to the export of weapons to Ukraine or Israel, where these weapons cause incredible suffering and do not contribute to de-escalation. The causes of migration can often be found in our capitalist system.
More and more people are fleeing from wars financed by Western countries and local defense contractors. The consequences of climate change, hunger, poverty, the persecution of women, religious and political persecution. The causes of flight often drive people to extremes. A flight that costs thousands of people their lives every year.It must also be emphasized that no one flees with the desire to become criminal, but
always with the hope of a better life for their loved ones and themselves. But when even in Germany, one of the richest and safest countries in the world, work permits are sometimes not granted for years and the family cannot be fed, and then the standard of living is reduced to a pay card so that refugees remain stuck at the lower subsistence level, many often have no choice but to seek a perspective in illegality. A life already
often lived on the margins of society, characterized by exclusion, poverty,
discrimination, racism and a lack of prospects. The situation, which manifests itself here in Germany, among other places, in the tightening of asylum laws, attacks on the shelters and apartments of refugees, and the ongoing shift to the right, can be observed in an even more dramatic way in many other countries. All over the world, right-wing forces are trying to conjure up the causes of the capitalist crises and the hardships of the people by creating the image of the criminal, evil refugee. We will only
change this increasingly dramatic situation if we fight the causes of flight and create worthwhile prospects in people’s home countries by enabling the victims of flight and expulsion to flee safely and offering a perspective wherever they are looking for a new home and treating people in a spirit of solidarity who most urgently need solidarity and
help. For us, this also means in concrete terms: stopping wars and their financing, expropriating arms companies and thus ending the profits from atrocities, ending the climate catastrophe as well as hunger, poverty and exploitation caused by the ongoing unequal distribution of resources. For a life in dignity, freedom and solidarity all over the world! A world that is only conceivable without capitalism and must be fought for! Affordable living Rents are rising, the cost of living is exploding, real wages have dramatically decreased, there is a lack of living space everywhere and renovation is long overdue – and politicians are watching all this happen. The AfD blames refugees, who also need a place to live, while the real culprits, the real estate companies, and the state’s inadequate spending on the real concerns and needs of the people are not named. It is
also kept secret that lower social benefits always also result in lower wages, that people put up with low wages and poor working conditions if they otherwise jeopardize their existence or face deportation. In general, wage earners have had to accept a lot in recent years. Even the strikes in the past hardly led to real wage increases, as wage increases often remained below the inflation rate or rising rents immediately ate up the
gain. Consumer prices have continued to rise, whether in the supermarket or for electricity and gas. Food prices rose by an average of 12.33% from 2022 to 2023, which particularly affects poor households that spend almost all of their income on food and rent. Fortunately, inflation has slowed down since the end of 2023, but people with low and middle incomes continue to suffer greatly. To put an end to this, we demand
not only affordable rents and wage increases that are not immediately eroded by inflation, but also an actual fair distribution of wealth and an end to speculation with basic rights such as housing. We must take the production of goods into our own hands and ensure an independent, self-determined and fair distribution of resources, free from profit interests and greed.
Our campaign (our motto and the meaning of solidarity)
With our campaign “Thwarting right-wing plans: Solidarity is our strongest weapon”, we at OAT Pforzheim not only want to educate people about the AfD’s dangerous program and the systemic causes of the right-wing shift in society as a whole, but also to take action ourselves and defend ourselves against right-wing politics and violence. Violence from the right is sadly part of everyday life for many people, especially in the AfD stronghold of Pforzheim. We want to defend ourselves against this. That is why we are campaigning for genuine, solidary crisis solutions in the interests of the working population, free of racist and sexist agitation. And we want to fight to ensure that the AfD cannot spread its inhuman agitation anywhere in our city. We fight to ensure that our brothers and sisters and their families are not simply deported, that no one has to
freeze to death on the streets anymore, that queer people dare to leave their homes without fear of becoming victims of right-wing violence. The right-wing agitators, fascists and agitators of the AfD are without question the greatest danger for us and our fellow human beings and are increasingly putting our city of Pforzheim through the mill. They only further exacerbate the problems prevailing here and the situation of the
people. So we have to fight for our future against them and we can only do that together. Because solidarity is and remains our strongest weapon!
OAT Pforzheim
Do you want to become active against fascism?
Do you want to take a stand against racist and sexist discrimination, Nazis, the shift to the right and fascist tendencies like the AfD and its strong presence in Pforzheim?
Then you’ve come to the right place, because only together can we successfully oppose Nazis and racists! The open anti-fascist meeting in Pforzheim offers you a platform for exchange and networking in order to take organized and decisive action against the shift to the right and Nazi structures. Whether you are already experienced or not – with us you can get involved in a variety of ways! From theoretical education, to information booths, rallies and demonstrations, to actively confronting the organized right – there are no limits to your creativity! Our common goal should always be to build a society based on solidarity, in which there is no place for hatred and oppression! We can only achieve this if we organize ourselves and find a balance between theory and
practice – all pulling together!
You want to get involved? Come by and meet us!
When? Every second Friday of the month at 7pm
Where? At the Linkes Zentrum Pforzheim (Kronprinzenstraße 46, 75177 Pforzheim)
Bring your friends.
All together against fascism!
How to reach us and stay informed:
Web: https://oatpforzheim.wordpress.com/offenes-treffen/
Mail: oatpforzheim@riseup.net
Instagram: oatpforzheim
(Twitter/X: OATPforzheim)
Facebook: oatpforzheim
Also worth a look:
Instagram: linkeszentrumpforzheim
Web: antifa-info.net
Instagram: antifainfo