Gruner + Jahr | Hamburg, 09/11/2018

18 Years Of ‘Stern’ Campaign ‘Mut gegen rechte Gewalt’

G+J’s “Stern” magazine together with the Berlin based Amadeu Antonio Stiftung founded the campaign “Mut gegen rechte Gewalt” – “Courage against right-wing violence” – 18 years ago. Over the course of the years, over €2 million in donations were raised to sponsor more than 200 projects. In an interview, G+J’s “Greenport” intranet spoke with “Stern” reporter and initiator Uli Hauser.

Courage against right-wing violence – this topic is hotter than ever. What do events such as those recently in Chemnitz mean for the “Stern” initiative?

The events in Chemnitz were no surprise to me. Neo-Nazis and right-wing hooligans have been attacking people for many years. Offices of politicians are attacked and mayors are harassed. This happens in the east of Germany, and in the west. In the west, people had more time over the course of years to practice democracy and build trust in a constitutional state and rule of law, which aim to guarantee human dignity. With the foundation of our initiative 18 years ago, we started supporting people who are committed to doing something against right-wing violence. We encourage them and show them that their commitment pays off. And, in order to actually get this work done every day and not just leave things to letters of intent, we have created more than 60 jobs so far. They are jobs for democracy. Many of the women and men you can currently see on television and who are asked about their opinion about the situation were supported by our campaign.

Which projects are currently being focused on?

The newest project has meanwhile also turned eleven, but it will also be taking place this year: the “Promotional Award for Democracy of the State of Saxony”. With this award, we honor people and initiatives that practice their commitment in cities and communities. They are courageous people who do not shy away from bullying. They stand up for a country without hatred. How did this award come about? When the Dresden Church of Our Lady was inaugurated in the fall of 2005, I spoke with Bernhard Walter, the former board spokesman of Dresdner Bank, about the political situation in Saxony. Walter was one of the decisive promoters of the Church of Our Lady and proud about the public spirit that allowed this building to resurrect from the ruins of World War II. He was, however, also worried about the many Neo-Nazis in the country at the time. I told him: “Mr. Walter, let’s do something together, we could donate an award for commitment to democracy.” That’s how it has always been with “Courage against right-wing violence”: talk to people and simply do it.

And how did the foundation of “Courage against right-wing violence” come about?

In Dessau on Pentecost 2000, right-wing radical youths had beaten a father from Mozambique, Alberto Adriano, to death. The butcher was on his way home – and the radicals didn’t like him. According to our “count”, Adriano was the one hundredth victim of violence of right-wing terrorists after the fall of the Berlin Wall. We wrote about it in “Stern” – at the time with my colleague Wigbert Loer, who has a lot of insider knowledge about the AfD party today, and I thought: I as a journalist have to do more. My two editors-in-chief Thomas Osterkorn and Andreas Petzold didn’t need any convincing, they were with me right away and assured me of any kind of support, no matter how many colleagues. I called my friend Martin Kess, at the time one of the bosses of the TV and film production company Brainpool, and asked him to provide us with DM100,000. I put up his letter of consent on my office door and from then on pointed out this sum when I made calls to entrepreneurs. With the Amadeu Antonio Stiftung in Berlin and Anetta Kahane and Bernd Wagner we also found very professional partners – with a fire burning in their hearts, but with a cool head to look at events. After a while, we had raised almost one million marks together with colleagues making phone calls. Even Maschmeyer donated. Gruner + Jahr and Bertelsmann also provided funds. And the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder “begged” the boss of BMW for 250,000 marks at the press ball in Berlin – “for a good cause,” as he put it.

Can you tell us about some of the initiatives you have sponsored or founded since then?

After the big report in “Stern” and its call for more donations, Udo Lindenberg contacted us – the senior anti-fascist in the scene who is always committed to fighting against right-wing extremism. We agreed on a masterly cast tour named “Rock against right-wing violence”: Nena participated, Xavier Naidoo, Söhne Mannheims, Scooter, and Peter Maffay, to name but a few. I encouraged them to visit the initiatives on site, and this is how a first state-wide meeting of people in Saxony, who wanted to deal with the topic of “right-wing violence”, came about. To this day, we have been able to directly sponsor or initiate more than 200 projects; money was provided for the organization “Opferperspektive” and, above all, for the meanwhile internationally recognized “Exit” initiative for neo-Nazis, which has thus far enabled over 650 squads to find a way out. Our concept – supporting young initiatives in an uncomplicated way – then became exemplary for the Federal Government’s funding program. We have achieved a lot – especially because we consider the job serious work that has to be paid for. And it is work that will not get done simply by the calls for “civil society” to act now; these calls have unfortunately become inflationary. It would suffice if a few decision makers took several minutes more of their time to speak with other “concerned citizens” rather than just those who roister loudly.

What can every individual do against right-wing extremism?

I am the type of person who prefers standing for something. Against something: if need be. But for something – that’s much better. For me, it’s enough if we celebrate our constitution and if the government bodies function. I am happy if police officers enforce the freedom of demonstration, and I am happy with state attorneys who defend the constitutional state. We are living in a great country; we do have problems, but they can be solved. Together. Not against each other. I believe that everybody should be committed according to their possibilities. Some may go out on the streets and demonstrate, others may go to the bank…

What was your personal highlight in 18 years of “Mut gegen rechte Gewalt” – “Courage against right-wing violence”?

Without a doubt our “Biklikte” festival in Cologne. Three days with more than 150,000 visitors on Keupstrasse in Cologne, where the terrorists of the NSU network had placed a nail bomb before and very fortunate circumstances prevented many people from certain death. We invited the German President, and he came; we had Udo Lindenberg and Peter Maffay, Fanta 4, Hardy Krüger, Wolfgang Niedecken, and many more right there. I cried when I stood in front of tens of thousands of people on the stage. Excuse me for having talked so much about myself now, but it’s a great feeling that every single one of us – if they want to and have no doubt – can get some things moving. At the end of the day, everybody has to know for themselves whether they are committed to freedom, or whether we rather just consume democracy. It is not self-understood to be able to live in a country as good as ours. Let’s not forget that.

If you wish to support the work of “Mut gegen rechte Gewalt”, please go to: www.mut-gegen-rechte-gewalt.de  .