Auschwitz survivors are very concerned about the steadily increasing propensity to violence and the overt contempt of democracy manifested by the current demonstrations of the Querdenker movement in Kassel and other German cities.

In Berlin Christoph Heubner, the Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, said: "The demonstrations in Kassel have clearly shown that pressure is increasing on democracy in Germany as a result of the Querdenker movement and its crude mixture of conspiracy theories and contempt for the state. In addition to this, the willingness of these people to act together with anti-Semitic and right-wing groups is adding to the pressure. The ideological narrow-mindedness, the aggressiveness and the propensity to violence within this movement are clearly on the increase and are developing into a threat for our society.

It is particularly worrying that the police are not taking this movement seriously enough, because of its seemingly benign outward appearance and, despite court prosecutions, they are still being overly lenient and considerate in their approach. In view of our society’s current crisis situation and the many questions that citizens in Germany are asking their representatives in politics and the economy, those responsible would be well advised to take these challenges to our democracy and the accompanying destabilization efforts far more seriously. This is particularly important considering the recent acts of murder and violence, not only in Kassel."