In an unprecedented move, yesterday Germany’s SPD, CDU, and Green MPs in the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee removed all four anti-war motions which the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) proposed for parliamentary debate. The BSW has 10 deputies in the Bundestag. The AfD representatives abstained from the vote.
BSW foreign policy spokeswoman Sevim Dagdelen tweeted that these were “unbelievable events.... This is how the warmongers in the Bundestag are preventing a vote before the elections on our peace policy initiatives, such as: ‘Enable a referendum on U.S. missile deployment,’ ‘Peace diplomacy for a political settlement of the Ukraine conflict,’ ‘For a policy of détente—stop NATO expansion’ and ‘Resume German-Syrian relations.’ Democracy works differently.” Her tweet lists the four motions.
These incidents are exemplary of government policy by the SPD and Greens, with CDU agreement, to prevent any “cross-party voting,” which could break down the so-called “firewall” to the AfD or BSW. It remains to be seen whether an announced FDP motion to discuss Taurus delivery will take place on Dec. 6 and how that will evolve.
