Dying for “liberal democracy”? AfD takes on Özdemir

BERLIN. The AfD has sharply criticized statements by Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir that the Bundeswehr is fighting worldwide for “peace and liberal democracy”. “In Germany, Ukraine and everywhere else, no one puts their life at risk for ‘liberal democracy’. Rather to defend the nation and homeland. Greens can’t do anything with either of them,” AfD member of parliament and defense politician Jan Nolte told JUNGEN FREIHEIT.

The Minister of Agriculture had spread on the short message service Twitter on Tuesday that he was spending the Easter days with the Bundeswehr. He thanks the soldiers for their service.

I spend my days off before Easter at the #Armed forces – Exercises, seminars & many discussions are pending. Our soldiers are risking their lives for peace and liberal democracy worldwide. I’m grateful for that and I’m really looking forward to our time together again. pic.twitter.com/uSB2PCgdFU

— Cem Oezdemir (@cem_oezdemir) April 4, 2023

Özdemir himself never did military or community service. “One of the reasons I accepted German citizenship in 1981 was so that I didn’t have to do military service in Turkey,” he said in 2001 Mirror.

Özdemir also receives criticism from “Bauer Willi”

But not only the AfD criticized the Green politician. The agricultural expert and farming blogger Willi Kremer-Schillings, known as “Farmer Willi”, asked: “What does he want to achieve with this? sympathy points?”

I don’t understand why it does this. Who benefits? Who does he want to please? And what does “days off” mean? I still do not understand….

— Bauer Willi 🥕 (@BauerWilli_org) April 4, 2023

Özdemir’s agricultural policy has been sharply criticized by farmers’ associations and numerous farmers. (ho)