The court’s runing goes further; the reading group in question (Marxistiche Abendschule) is not anti-constitutional because they’re just reading and not actively fighting the “free democratic society.” But the court goes on to rule Marx’s writings in general as anti-constitutional:
Die auf die Theorien von Karl Marx zentrierte Betätigung des Klägers steht prinzipiell im Widerspruch zur freiheitlichen demokratischen Grundordnung.
The activities of the plaintiffs as centered around the theories of Karl Marx are principally in opposition to the free democratic societal order. (My translation)
Of course the court also decides to pull the phrase “dictatorship of the proletariat” into the mix and misunderstands it in completely bad faith.
There’s more gems in there but I will wait for a non-reactionary source. Although this article is surprisingly matter of fact for TAZ.
It’s just Germany being a bulwark of liberalism as usual.
First they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not… Aw shit
Is Germany outlawing Hobbes, Machiavelli and other thinkers as well who then supported monarchies and other types of government as unconstitutional? Is Germany banning Carl Schmitt and Heideger because they were both Nazis? I guess we all know the answer…
I think this new wave of Palestinian solidarity and anti-genocide made Europe and especially Germany lose the grip over ideological obfuscation. So now they are going after any groups that represent a real threat to the people in power.
The cited part of the constitution in all these cases is Article 14, the right to private property. Since neither monarchists nor facists take issue with private property, there’s no conflict.
That being said this isn’t a legal ban, it’s just one state court’s decision. Other courts have ruled differently in similar cases. That’s not to say there isn’t a trend.
- I’ve not read a ton of Machiavelli but I do want to read more, since it seems pertinent to understanding global and local politics, as well as work, community, and social spaces, online and in real life.
I wish I could have read much more when I was young. I only read “The Prince” from Machiavelli which is a very good (albeit small) book about politics. There are other bigger tomes from Machiavelli about politics and war that should definitely be in people’s reading list, if those themes interest them.
All the other authors are also worth reading, even the Nazi ones. I haven’t read them, but for example, Schmitt is a reference in political science. So even authors who are from a different political spectrum can offer perspectives and insights that could be incorporated or criticized. Marx wrote Das Kapital after reading most works from bourgeois political economists like Smith, Ricardo, Petty, Malthus and others.
But what I find amusing is how the court (local or not) is picking specifically Marx study groups. It could be a start of a larger wave of persecutions in Europe, as the Western crisis expands. It’s maybe a sign of increasing despair from authorities that they are using force instead of other means to keep Marxism in the margin. And, of course, it’s a sign of the growth of Fascistic elements within government’s ranks.
While we may find it disturbing and unpalatable, I do wish I’d taken your attitude thirty years ago. Knowing our own opponents’ strengths and weaknesses is tantamount to victory, and I believe Sun Tzu said as much, in The Art of War.
Well isn’t this familiar…
How its going: German leftists and streamers are beginning to pivot to keep themselves and their audience out of repression crosshairs.
