Rise Against Extremism: The European Social Democrats Launch Election Campaign to Combat Shift to the Right

The European election campaign for the SPD has kicked off, with leading figures from European social democracy gathering in Berlin-Moabit to discuss their central message for the upcoming vote on June 9th. The focus of the campaign is on combating a shift to the right and challenging extremist views.

The meeting in Berlin took on additional importance after the recent attack on SPD European politician Matthias Ecke in Dresden. Kevin Kühnert, the party’s general secretary, expressed his shock and concern over the increasing number of attacks on campaign workers and the threat that far-right extremists pose to democracy. The incident in Dresden, where witnesses identified the perpetrators as possibly linked to the right-wing scene, underscored the urgency of the party’s message against extremism.

In response to the rise of right-wing extremist parties in European parliaments and governments, which they see as a threat to the European project, the European Social Democrats issued a “Berlin Declaration of Democracy.” They pledged to maintain a strong stance against right-wing extremism and avoid any coalitions with extremist parties in the European Parliament. Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the importance of unity in standing against right-wing extremism and protecting democracy from such threats.

Throughout the meeting, it was clear that the SPD’s tough stance against extremism and commitment to defending democratic values were at its core. The party made a clear rejection of any alliances with right-wing extremist parties in European politics.