Thursday, February 7, 2019

'Omas gegen Rechts': Meet the German grannies bashing the far Right

fascism Nazi politics youth history protest hate racism xenophobia

A strange sight has begun to appear at political demonstrations in Germany: a group of elderly ladies, most of them wearing distinct hand-knitted woolly hats, holding up placards that read: “Omas gegen Rechts” – Grannies against the Right.

At a time of life when most people are content to live in retirement and play with their grandchildren, the Grannies are out on the streets in the bitter cold of a German winter, braving police lines and counter-protesters, with what they say is a warning to today’s generations not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The women, many in their seventies, say they fear the far-Right is returning to German politics and they want to stop it while there is still time.

“I was born in 1943. I remember the ruins of destroyed houses and destroyed streets,” says Cordula Grafahrend.

“For us it’s easy to see what we have gained in security, peace and freedom. Our children don’t know what it is to live with your life in danger. It’s our responsibility to tell them and our grandchildren.”  (more...)


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