The controversy surrounding Jette Nietzard, federal spokesperson of the German Green Youth, has highlighted a profoundly dangerous trend: the growing acceptance of violence as a political tool in left-wing circles. Nietzard’s repeated suggestions that armed resistance may be justified if Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) were to enter government reflect a rhetoric that risks legitimizing the use of force against democratic outcomes.
During an event in Berlin, Nietzard openly asked: “Will that resistance be intellectual or perhaps armed?” followed by the question: “Would we have to take up arms?” Pressed on whether this would mean resisting “against the will of the voters,” she dismissed the concern: “Against fascism.” She later said in a podcast that civil society is “completely unprepared for what it means to resist rising fascism” and warned: “There’s a point, and I don’t know when that will come, and I’m afraid we’ll miss it when words are no longer enough.”
Her comments have been widely criticized for crossing a line, with observers noting that she appears to justify violence if election results do not align with her ideology. The comparison with Germany’s history of left-wing terrorism, particularly the Red Army Faction, is difficult to ignore. Unlike isolated extremist groups of the past, this rhetoric now comes from within institutions close to mainstream politics.
The broader context makes these remarks even more alarming. A recent INSA survey shows that left-leaning Germans are the most likely to support political violence, ahead of both centrists and right-wingers. According to the poll, 26% of respondents on the left of center see violence as a legitimate means of achieving political goals. Support for violent methods is particularly strong among younger respondents: 34% of those aged 18–29 and 32% of those aged 30–39 said political violence can be legitimate.
Even more troubling is how parts of the Left responded to the murder of U.S. conservative Charlie Kirk by a left-wing extremist. An INSA survey found that a relative majority of Germans who place themselves left of center did not consider Kirk’s death “regrettable.” Only 36% expressed regret, while 27% declined to comment. In stark contrast, clear majorities in the political center and on the right viewed the assassination as regrettable.
Among party supporters, nearly 40% of Die Linke voters expressed no regret for Kirk’s murder, while more than a quarter of Green Party supporters did the same. Prominent politicians echoed this sentiment. Heidi Reichinnek, co-chair of Die Linke’s parliamentary group, said there should be “no sympathy” and “no respect” for the “fascist” Kirk. Former Green Family Minister Lisa Paus shared a post portraying Kirk as a “right-wing disgrace” and mocking those who mourned him. SPD politician and European Parliament Vice President Katarina Barley called Kirk’s death “tragic” but still described him as a “right-wing extremist influencer,” while blocking attempts to hold a minute of silence in his memory.
Taken together, these trends paint a disturbing picture: when over a quarter of the Left embraces political violence; when youth leaders of major parties speculate about taking up arms; and when a relative majority of left-leaning Germans refuse to regret the murder of a political opponent, the risk of legitimizing violence becomes undeniable.
Nietzard insists she does not imagine “everyone will run to the Bundestag with guns.” But as she herself admitted, neither she nor her organization has “thought about it enough.” Against the backdrop of rising public support for violence on the Left—and an erosion of even the basic taboo against political assassination—such ambiguity no longer looks like a mere rhetorical slip. It looks like a symptom of a deeper and more dangerous shift.
Zolta Győri is a journalist at europeanconservative.com.
