The German CDU/CSU’s promise—to expose left-wing non-governmental organisations unfairly in receipt of millions of euros in state funding—appears to have been short-lived.
Now that the centre-right political alliance is on course to form a government with the Social Democrats (SPD), and receive backing from the Greens, Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Merz doesn’t seem to be bothered by government-funded left-wing organisations attacking the Right.
As we previously reported, Merz and his party had submitted a total of 551 questions to the outgoing left-liberal government, demanding answers about which organisations received money from federal funding programmes—and asking whether there is a direct link between these associations and “certain parties or political actors.”
The letter was a reaction to revelations made in German right-wing media, stating that millions of taxpayer euros were spent supporting organisations that have been holding demonstrations against their perceived threat of the ‘far right.’
Ministries led by the outgoing Social Democrat-Greens government granted millions of euros in public money to left-wing organisations, some of whom have threatened conservative politicians and vandalised party offices.
Although the government did manage to mumble an official reply under duress last week, in essence, all of the 551 questions remained unanswered.
As daily Bild reported, the government responded to around eighty questions by stating that they had “no information” on the matter, or that it is not their job to collect such information. Regarding questions that relate to specific organisations, the authorities avoided answering by stating that a response could not be given at the “current time.”
Deputy government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann made no effort to clear the government of any wrongdoing, instead stressing that NGOs are crucial
for a diverse and democratic coexistence, and the work against radicalization and polarization in society.
Given how the request for information had drawn the ire of the Social Democrats and the Greens, it is unlikely that Friedrich Merz will continue to pursue the matter. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil had accused the CDU/CSU of “foul play” and urged them to “quickly reflect” on whether they should have insisted on getting a response to their questions.
Merz wants to form a government with the SPD, and is also relying on the Greens to support a motion in parliament on Tuesday, March 18th, to take on a massive €1 trillion debt to boost defence and infrastructure.
A well-known lawyer, Joachim Steinhöfel, and former editor-in-chief of Bild, Julian Reichelt, called the government response a “cover-up attempt” by Merz and Klingbeil, and have promised to file a lawsuit to force it to provide information in line with its initial unfulfilled promise.
