Abstract
The spectre of anti-Germans has easily become the Feindbild for activists of theAnglophone Left; yet rarely does this translate into fundamental or informedcriticism of the anti-German premise. This article, then, offers an introductorydescription and a critical analysis of pro-Israeli, anti-German communism in itscontext within the post-war German Left and as a contemporary protestmovement that sits oddly on the fringes of radical politics. Its origins and politicsare examined to depict the radicalisation of a broad anti-nationalist campaignagainst German re-unification, and its evolution into a small but coherent anti-German movement, controversial for its pro-Israel polemics and provocations.Current debates within the anti-fascist German Left are reviewed to explore anti-German positions on the Holocaust, Israel, Islam, anti-imperialism andGermany's foreign policy. Theoretical works that have heavily influenced anti-German communism are discussed to comprehend the movement's intellectualinspirations. The purpose of the article is to introduce one of Germany's mostcontroversial protest movements to an English-speaking audience and to hint atthe formulation of a critique that is more than a knee-jerk reaction to pro-Israeliagitation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 199-219 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Interface: a journal for and about social movements |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2010 |