AfD rally's use of DDR anthem sparks debate on East German past

A rally by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt has ignited a debate over the country's relationship with its past, specifically its handling of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) era. The incident occurred when AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla, speaking in Dessau-Roßlau, called for the German national anthem to be sung. However, guest speaker Uwe Steimle, a cabaret artist, instead began singing the DDR anthem, "Auferstanden aus Ruinen" (Risen from Ruins).

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I find that extremely bizarre. And it applies especially when it is done by political representatives who obviously want to connect political messages with it.

Despite Chrupalla's attempt to correct Steimle, many attendees joined in the singing. Chrupalla and the AfD's top candidate for the state election, Ulrich Siegmund, were seen smiling and eventually singing parts of the anthem themselves. The German national anthem was sung afterward. Chrupalla later defended the incident, telling "Junge Freiheit" that he did not understand the "unrelaxed" reactions and that the text of the DDR anthem, which he claimed was once forbidden, is "grandiose and still fits today."

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The text of the DDR anthem, which we were not allowed to sing, is grandiose and still fits today.

However, the event drew sharp criticism from various political figures and institutions. Thorsten Frei, head of the Chancellery, called the act "extremely bizarre," particularly when performed by political representatives. The state chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, Andreas Silbersack, expressed disbelief, stating, "I would not have dreamed that the DDR anthem would be celebrated like this again." He reminded attendees that the GDR was a dictatorship where citizens' rights were suppressed. The director of the Saxony-Anhalt Memorials Foundation, Kai Langer, emphasized that the song is not just any historical tune but the anthem of a state that persecuted political opponents and denied basic freedoms. The state's commissioner for dealing with the GDR's communist past, Johannes Beleites, also expressed irritation, viewing the act as a disregard for the victims of the SED dictatorship.

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I would not have dreamed that the DDR anthem would be celebrated like this again.