Alternative for Germany: You will not get my fear

The AfD’s success in Saxony-Anhalt may justify concern, but fear is the wrong response, argues a Die Zeit columnist. Fear, the writer says, would only satisfy a party that is itself constantly afraid.

The column opens with a personal admission: the author is not an expert on fear, beyond what life experience has taught. To illustrate the distinction between concern and fear, the writer describes walking along a narrow path below the summit of the Zugspitze, with steep drops on both sides and Austria’s snow-covered peaks visible beyond the Eibsee.

The point is not that danger should be ignored. Anyone climbing the mountain must understand that even a wrong step on a well-developed route can be fatal. But the column argues that recognizing danger does not require surrendering to fear, including political fear directed at the AfD and developments in Saxony-Anhalt.