Merkel urges Germans to stand up for democracy

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel called on people to stand up for freedom and democracy on Thursday, in an appeal coming days after the historic success of a far-right party in a German state election sent ripples around the world. 

"As is often the case, there is no such thing as a free lunch - nothing comes for free," said Merkel, who governed Germany for more than 15 years. 

She was addressing 1,200 people gathered on the island of Usedom in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, reading to them from her autobiography "Freedom."  

"You, too, have a small task to carry out," she said. 

The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the next to hold elections, on September 20th, along with the city state of Berlin. Following its success in the state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to do well in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, too. 

Merkel read a passage from her book in which she notes that today, "to an unprecedented extent, truths are called lies and lies are called truths, and this is also being exploited in democracies by people in positions of leadership."

She said true freedom is not solely concerned with one's own advantage but is guided by restraint and scruples. "Freedom requires democratic conditions; without democracy, there is no freedom," Merkel said. 

"If we want to live in freedom, we must defend our democracy (...) against those who threaten it. We can succeed in this if we work together, if we commit ourselves collectively - each of us individually and all of us for one another," she said, addressing the listeners. 

'Moderation and balance'

The audience applauded her repeatedly throughout her 90-minute reading, including when she spoke about the refugee crisis in 2015 and her decision to take in Syrians arriving via Hungary. 

She acknowledged that this decision, as well as her policies during the euro crisis, had boosted the AfD, which began as an anti-euro party before focusing on migration. 

But people should not abandon their core principles while trying to prevent the party from coming to power, she said, citing European unity, freedom of movement and the protection of human dignity.

"The democratic parties have a major influence on just how strong the AfD can actually become," said Merkel. "I am convinced that if they assume they can keep the AfD in check by constantly discussing its issues - and, ideally, trying to outdo it rhetorically whilst failing to offer actual solutions to existing problems - then they will fail." 

Responses are needed from mainstream parties that value democracy and do not seek to undermine the constitution, without tactical manoeuvring, she said. 

"Moderation and balance - that is the foundation and prerequisite for the success of democratic parties," said Merkel.

The anti-immigrant AfD won a record 43.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, narrowly missing an absolute majority of seats. It came far ahead of the Christian Democrats, the party of both Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Merkel.