Social:Freie Sachsen

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Short description: German secessionist organization (e. 2021)
Free Saxons

Freie Sachsen
AbbreviationFS
LeaderMartin Kohlmann
Membership (2023)1,200
IdeologyRegionalism
Saxon independence
Saxon-monarchism
Political positionRight-wing to far-right
Website
https://freie-sachsen.info/

Freie Sachsen ("Free Saxons", or "Free Saxony",) is a right-wing monarchist, regionalist, and secessionist movement within the German State of Saxony. It seeks to restore the former Kingdom of Saxony through a autonomist government or a "Saexit if Necessary".[1][2]

History

Founding

The inaugural meeting of "Free Saxony" in the Bermsgrün guest house was an occasion to question the use of the municipal building.[3] The small party "Freie Sachsen" [4] played a key role in mobilizing for the protests against pandemic measures in Saxony.[5] The organization seeks to extend its influence from the streets to town halls and possibly also to the state parliament.[5]

On February 26, 2021, Martin Kohlmann became chairman of the newly founded organization "Freie Sachsen" (not to be confused with the party Freie Sachsen – Alliance of Independent Voters, founded in 2007) in the Haus des Gastes[3] in Bermsgrün, which describes itself as a party according to the party law. Contrarily, Freie Sachsen sees itself "in view of the state corona coercive measures" as an umbrella for a collection movement.[6] Within a few months, the organization dominated discourse on Telegram, which had 150,000 subscribers as of February 2022, and to control the radical actions of the COVID-19 pandemic protesters in Saxony.[7] Programmatically, they call for stronger cooperation with the Visegrád Group, with which they have views of security or family policy more in common than with West German federal states. The Free Saxons reject democracy and demand "to involve the Saxon royal family in shaping the future".[2][8]

The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Saxony classified the alliance as right-wing extremists in June 2021.[6] Since January 2022, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the Free Saxons as a suspected case and observed them nationwide.[7]

2022 and 2023 demonstrations

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a series of anti-interventionist protests and demonstrations, Putin masks were worn and Russian flags waved during the group's "walks". The explanation of the Free Saxons: "Suddenly the unvaccinated is no longer the number one enemy!" Now "the Russians are the number one enemy".[8][9] Members of the party also take part in weekly Monday demonstrations to protest rising gas, energy, food prices, and immigration.[10] They also went on to take part in anti-interventionist protests alongside members of the state association of the AFD in Saxony and The Left party, in which they showed nostalgia for an independent eastern Germany.[1][11][12]

Party Structure

Membership and Organization

With a membership of 1,200 people the party excepts cross-party membership only as long as there is a basic commitment to the party's principals, with some of its members being a part of other German political party's, including and not limited to The Republicans, Alternative for Germany, pro-Chemnitz, Free Voters and The Homeland(NPD). The Free Saxons see themselves as an umbrella organization.[13]

Officials

  • Chairmen: Martin Kohlmann, founder of the Free Saxons, he is a lawyer and former member of (The Republicans) (German Social Union) and founder of (pro-Chemnitz).[14]
  • Deputy chairmen: Stefan Hartung The Homeland (NPD),[15] city councilor in Aue-Bad Schlema and district councilor in the Erzgebirge district, and Plauen bus operator Thomas Kaden;
  • Treasurer: (pro-Chemnitz) functionary Robert Andrews, who is a city councilor in Chemnitz.

See also

  • Kingdom of Saxony
  • House of Wettin
  • Bavaria Party (EFA member)[16]
  • South Schleswig Voters' Association (EFA member) and The Frisians
  • Lusatian Alliance
  • Protests against responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • European Free Alliance
  • List of active separatist movements in Europe

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hewson, Jens Kastner, Jack (2023-09-17). "Why Does Eastern Germany Love Putin So Much?" (in en-US). https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/17/east-germany-putin-afd-misinformation/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Winter, Steffen (2022-01-29). "(S+) Freie Sachsen: »Das sächsische Königshaus ist bei der Gestaltung der Zukunft einzubinden«" (in de). Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/freie-sachsen-das-saechsische-koenigshaus-ist-bei-der-gestaltung-der-zukunft-einzubinden-a-a62f69fa-11a5-4aa3-a814-8ef36ea51c0b. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "23 | März | 2021 | Schwarzenberg-Blog" (in de-DE). https://schwarzenberg-blog.de/2021/03/23/. 
  4. ↑ Litschko, Konrad (2021-12-20). ""Freie Sachsen" heizen Coronaprotest an: Die Einpeitscher" (in de). Die Tageszeitung: taz. ISSN 0931-9085. https://taz.de/!5820715/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Right-wing extremist mobilization against the state". https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/wer-sind-die-freien-sachsen-102.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Meisner, Matthias (2022-01-16). ""Freie Sachsen" im Corona-Protest: Rechte, die eine Partei sein wollen" (in de). Die Tageszeitung: taz. ISSN 0931-9085. https://taz.de/!5828285/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 tagesschau.de. "Verfassungsschutz: "Freie Sachsen" als Verdachtsfall" (in de). https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/freie-sachsen-103.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 mdr.de. ""Freie Sachsen": MDR-Webserie "exactly" mit neuer Folge über Propaganda und Proteste | MDR.DE" (in de). https://www.mdr.de/presse/fernsehen/presseinformation-exactly-freie-sachsen-propaganda-proteste-100.html. 
  9. ↑ tagesschau.de. "Russlands Krieg: "Querdenker" für Putin" (in de). https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/reaktionen-auf-putin-von-querdenkern-und-verschwoerungsideologen-101.html. 
  10. ↑ "Germans revive Cold War Monday demonstrations – DW – 09/05/2022" (in en). https://www.dw.com/en/germans-revive-cold-war-monday-demonstrations-amid-inflation/a-63025218. 
  11. ↑ Stanley-Becker, Isaac (2022-04-15). "Russia finds sympathy in Germany's east, Putin's old stomping ground" (in en-US). Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/15/germany-ukraine-communist-east-russia/. 
  12. ↑ "'Ordinary Germans are paying': anti-war protests stretch across central Europe". https://www.ft.com/content/fedc259f-bf96-4a22-b032-bc181d4dd51d. 
  13. ↑ Reuth, Sven (2023-12-04). "Freie Sachsen: Antritte in allen Kreisen geplant" (in de-DE). https://www.compact-online.de/freie-sachsen-antritte-in-allen-kreisen-geplant/. 
  14. ↑ "Neue Partei im Erzgebirge gegründet" (in de). https://www.freiepresse.de/erzgebirge/schwarzenberg/neue-partei-im-erzgebirge-gegruendet-artikel11368986. 
  15. ↑ Stefan Hartung
  16. ↑ Satzung der Bayernpartei, 30. October 2011, from: bayernpartei.de, 28 August 2018



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