The leader of Thuringia’s far-right AfD party, Björn Höcke, has revealed what his plans are if he comes to power, and they also include controversial reforms in education, writes Politico.
Höcke has stated that the education system must be freed from “ideological projects” such as inclusion.
Currently, the German education model allows students with disabilities and special needs to study in regular schools, along with everyone else. This right was established in the law in 2009.
Wilfried Oeller, a spokesman for the center-right Christian Democratic Union in the Bundestag, said Höcke had given a very unvarnished view of his thinking. Corinna Rüffer, a spokeswoman for the Green Party, said she was not surprised by Höcke’s remarks because
the AfD sees special needs as a disease, but excluding these children from schools would mean excluding them from society.
State Secretary Jens Brandenburg called Höcke’s comments inhumane and added that Höcke is known to be sympathetic to Nazi ideas.
Federal Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities Jürgen Dusel said that Germany must take a particularly responsible approach to such matters, given the crimes committed by the Nazi regime, which also affected persons with disabilities. “That’s why it’s important for me to make clear that inclusion is not about an ideology project, but about the implementation of fundamental basic rights, human dignity, the development of personality and equality before the law,” explained Dusel.
The politician, whose vision is impaired and who was initially educated in a special school, said that
inclusion is in no way a burden on students without health problems.
It allows early contact with people with special needs, which in turn prevents the emergence of prejudices.
Polls currently show that the AfD is the most popular party in Thuringia, with 34% of voters supporting it. However, it does not seem realistic that Höcke could lead the country since no other parliamentary party wants to cooperate with the AfD. The far-right party has long been monitored by Germany’s domestic intelligence service and is ranked among right-wing extremist groups.
Read also: Finland’s Finance Minister apologizes for racist remarks on the Internet