Are Germany's NGOs too powerful?

A march ‘against the right’ in Berlin in January. Photo: Stephan Sprinz

Dear Reader,

These days, €39 is the kind of money you could lose down the back of the sofa and not even notice.

Before you close this email, no, this isn't a gimmick to get you to sign up for membership of The German Review (though you’re very welcome to do so). Instead, it's a story about how a seemingly trivial sum has ignited a national debate over alleged “secretive alliances” between NGOs and left‑wing politicians, supposedly aimed at subverting the will of the average voter.

The cash in question was used to fund a protest in the small town of Suhl, Thuringia, in February. Under the motto “Suhl bleibt hell” (“Suhl stays light”), a local NGO called the Suhl Alliance for Democracy and Tolerance and Against Right‑wing Extremism encouraged residents to take to the streets carrying torches. Once at the town square, participants arranged themselves to spell out “Nie wieder” (“Never again” — as in, never again to fascis…