The Saxon election campaign is also about war and peace

Dresden (dpa/sn) - Wherever the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance campaigns on streets and squares in Saxony, it is also about the question of peace: How can the war in Ukraine be ended? And is the conflict threatening to ultimately also plunge Germany into ruin? "People see the suffering in Ukraine and ask themselves why all the other parties keep voting in favor of further arms deliveries worth billions," reports Sabine Zimmermann, head of the BSW in Saxony, from many conversations with citizens. The question of peace is repeatedly put to her in the marketplaces. Zimmermann attributes the high popularity of her party in Saxony and Thuringia primarily to the BSW's clear stance on war and peace.

Zimmermann (63) encountered two issues during her talks: "Firstly, people are really afraid that we are being dragged further and further into war, step by step. This is not an abstract political concern that is being voiced. People are opening their hearts to us at the voting booth and saying that they have existential fears and hope that we as a new party can do something about it."

And secondly, the East Germans also have a keen sense that many in the West - including the media - are not taking their fears seriously. "Many people ask themselves: "What's actually going on in Germany?" There is a concern that the mainstream media will simply brush aside legitimate concerns and fears, as it did in 2015 with the migration issue."

Relying on economic relations and social exchange

Zimmermann does not even see a special relationship between East Germans and Russia. "It's a very realistic and pragmatic relationship. Nobody here has any sympathy for Putin's decision to attack Ukraine." But the East Germans obviously know better than the West Germans that Russia will not simply vanish into thin air even if the West continues to supply weapons to Ukraine and that it will be necessary to continue to deal with a difficult neighbor in the future. "It is precisely this pragmatic attitude that we have probably learned better."

It is also important to think about the "time after Putin": "How do you want to reactivate relations with Russia? The best way is probably through economic relations and cultural and social exchanges. And in these areas, Saxony is predestined not to let the connections break off completely, even now."

The head of Saxony's BSW is absolutely clear: the opportunities to influence Germany's defense and foreign policy through state policy are limited. "But we have a sharp sword: the Bundesrat initiative," says Zimmermann. If her party were involved in a government in Saxony after September 1, the Free State could demand diplomatic initiatives for an immediate round of negotiations without preconditions via the Bundesrat. Zimmermann is convinced that a Saxon state government that opposes the federal government's current course would also have a symbolic effect that should not be underestimated.

Zimmermann has war experience herself

Zimmermann saw what war means with her own eyes not long ago. On October 7, 2023, she was in Israel with her grandchildren when terrorists from the Islamist group Hamas invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip and carried out an unprecedented massacre that left more than 1,200 people dead. "I have never been so afraid for my family in my life as I was during those four days." For four days she was unable to leave Tel Aviv with her grandchildren, there were constant bomb alarms. "A bomb went off 200 meters from us. Impacts could be heard every second. Anyone who experiences that sees war differently. That's why I will fight against war wherever I can."