With the federal election just around the corner, we want to address something that is truly important to us. Information about the upcoming Fusion will be shared in the next newsletter.

The next federal election will take place on February 23, and the polls and forecasts paint a gloomy picture:

• The AfD is steady above 20%, becoming the second-strongest party and moving one step closer to their dream of seizing power with every election. • Friedrich Merz is tearing down the "firewall", making fascists socially acceptable. • Lindner wants to embrace more Miley and Musk. • Habeck wants to double defense spending. • The rest of the parties have to fight not to fail at the 5% hurdle.

This and much more would be reason enough not to vote at all. However, this would further favour the rise of the far-right AfD and is therefore not a good idea.

Fear, despair, anger, resignation and uncertainty are emotions that many Fusionist:as are experiencing in light of these grim prospects. It’s foreseeable that, regardless of the exact election outcome, we will be faced with a new government that is conservative and regressive, further exacerbating the social climate. One could choose to resign or take solace in the fact that right-wing populists have gained power in many countries but have also been voted out again - such as in Brazil or Poland.

However, looking at the USA serves as a stark example of how quickly and radically far-right extremists can dismantle democracy and the rule of law once they gain power. This is what awaits us if the AfD, if not in this election, eventually gains control and cannot be stopped. In our eyes, the idea that a party ban could save democracy in an emergency is unfortunately a deceptive illusion, because in the end the path to open fascism is short, the democrats toothless and their weapons blunt.

This is not just a call to vote. This is a call to gather all our strength and courage in the remaining weeks and fight against the rise of the AfD. Bertolt Brecht’s words, “He who fights can lose. He who does not fight has already lost,” are more relevant now than ever.

Go vote, stand up for it and mobilise your community!

We are saving ourselves a long list of arguments against the AfD. This is the newsletter of the Fusion Festival. If you're reading this, you know that the values of the AfD are completely at odds with our world view. People who are affected by the sexist, racist and misanthropic attacks of the right are justifiably afraid of the future in this country. It is our duty to support and protect them.

In our opinion, the open letter from cultural workers on the fall of the firewall - against any collaboration with the AfD - has received too little attention.

Almost all of us have people in our circle of family or acquaintances who trivialise the AfD or even vote for it. Be it out of stupidity, defiance, frustration, media manipulation or conviction. We know that it takes a lot of energy to discuss things with these people or to reach them at all. Nevertheless, we must call on ourselves and you to have these discussions right now. We have until February 23 and we have to use this phase before the election to have these discussions with everyone who is still somehow open to arguments.

As a little help for these debates, there are argumentation aids on the Internet, such as those from the Volksverpetzer.

We as Kulturkosmos have never made a recommendation to vote. Nor will we do so now. But a simple ‘Go vote!’ is not enough. It is clear that splinter parties that are well below the 5 per cent threshold sometimes match our expectations of politics better, but still have little influence - a vote in their favour proportionally strengthens all parties that make it into the Bundestag.

If you are still unsure what to vote for, try the Real-o-Mat - a project by ‘Frag den Staat’.

Let's use this important but manageable period of time to become active. Finding people who tick in a similar way and who dream of a similar world is extremely helpful in avoiding resignation. Get involved in initiatives in real life and take a break from social media and the internet from time to time. You will be surprised how many great people out there are already active and fighting for a more equal world for all.

Dates

Here are a few opportunities to come together in the next few weeks:

• February 15 – Neubrandenburg - CSD • February 16 – Neustrelitz – Unteilbar • February 22 – Hamburg - DEMODISKOTHEK • More nationwide dates can be found at demokrateam.org

Next Saturday, February 15, rallies ‘FOR A JUST PEACE IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL’ will take place in Berlin, Cologne and Nuremberg, and we call on all fusionists who care about this topic to take part.

Despite these grim political realities, we are hard at work planning the upcoming Fusion. We are doing everything we can to reunite in Lärz at the end of June, to celebrate against the madness in our beloved parallel society.

Kulturkosmos