Controversial Statements by AfD Politician Björn Höcke Spark Criticism on School Inclusion

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Status: 08/12/2023, 10:05 a.m

Von: Sandra Kathe

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In the MDR summer interview, AfD politician Björn Höcke describes school inclusion as an “ideological project” – and has been criticized by trade unions and associations.

Berlin – The Thuringian AfD chairman Björn Höcke has with his appearance at MDR-Summer interview caused dismay among educational and social organizations as well as trade unions. His comments that the inclusive schooling of children with disabilities or the “gender mainstream approach” were ideological projects from which the education system had to be “liberated” were described by his critics as “breaking a taboo” and an “attack on human dignity”.

Again Spiegel on Wednesday (August 9), Höcke spoke out against the regular schooling of children with disabilities in the morning conversation, on the grounds that it was a “stress factor” in the school system. The fact that children with disabilities can also go to regular school classes is a consequence of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which guarantees everyone the right to equal participation. Germany is one of 185 countries that have ratified the treaty concluded in 2008 and thus committed to its implementation.

In the summer interview, Björn Höcke was critical of inclusion in schools. (Archive photo) © Ronny Hartmann/AFP

“Breaking a taboo” and “scandal”: Associations criticize statements in Höcke interview

In Höcke’s view, however, such “ideology projects” are “projects that don’t help our students, that don’t make our children more productive and that don’t lead to us turning our children and young people into the skilled workers of the future.” Spiegel Not only did numerous representatives of trade unions and associations contradict this, they also expressed their indignation at the politician’s statements.

This is what the federal chairman of the non-profit federal association Lebenshilfe, Ulla Schmidt, emphasized Spiegel, that her association considers it a “breaking of a taboo and simply a scandal” that Höcke questions the right to inclusion: “In view of this misanthropic attitude, we can only guess how Mr. Höcke would like to deal with people with disabilities”. The head of communications for “Aktion Mensch”, Christina Marx, emphasized to the magazine: “Inclusion is not an ideological project, inclusion is a human right. Abolishing them is an attack on human dignity.”

Criticism of interview statements by Björn Höcke: MDR also has to face critical questions

Marx also remarked to the magazine that classmates with disabilities not only do not slow down the other children and young people, but also become valuable specialists themselves through appropriate training. “People with disabilities are the professionals of today,” he quotes Spiegel the “Action Human” spokeswoman. Participation in the regular education system for children and young people with disabilities is therefore an important prerequisite for training and studying.

After the interview had been broadcast, the broadcaster was also confronted with criticism as to why Höcke, whose Thuringian AfD state association is classified by the state’s constitutional protection agency as “safe right-wing extremist”, offers a platform at all. The broadcaster replied in a statement that “an exclusion of the influential figure of the Thuringian AfD, which is the third largest parliamentary group in the Thuringian state parliament” is not compatible with the broadcaster’s journalistic mission. Instead, it is the task of MDR“to make the positions in Thuringian politics transparent for the people in the Free State and to classify them.”

In the summer interview of ZDF Höcke’s party leader Tino Chrupalla was recently a guest. For example, he called for a “rethinking of family policy” so that more children would be born again in the future. (saka with AFP)

2023-08-12 12:52:27
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