Overview
- At a Schloss Bellevue matinee marking 1918, 1938 and 1989, Steinmeier said democracy and freedom face their severest test since reunification from a Russian aggressor and surging right‑wing extremism.
- He demanded a strict political firewall, ruling out cooperation with extremists in governments or parliaments and urging the political centre to keep distance from extremist language while addressing contentious issues credibly.
- He called a party ban the ultima ratio of Germany’s defensive democracy, said legal prerequisites must be examined by the Federal Constitutional Court, and warned that society should not wait for such decisions to act.
- He said antisemitism has risen sharply in Germany since October 7, 2023 and must be confronted regardless of its origin.
- He pressed for swifter regulation to protect young people online, calling social‑media lies, hate and algorithmic amplification a danger to democratic discourse and urging citizens to get involved.