The Illusion of Moral Superiority

When German-Jewish journalist Philipp Peyman Engel declared that citizens must not allow their country to be taken from them, his words carried a heavy weight. His assessment that Germany has already tipped points to a severe, ongoing crisis of political culture and public order.

Engel targets a political establishment that appears to have lost its moral compass, particularly on the ideological left. While parties such as Die Linke, the Greens, and the Social Democrats routinely present themselves as defenders of democratic values, their persistent tolerance toward radical Islamism and left-wing antisemitism exposes a deep hypocrisy. Broad sections of the political class have effectively become useful idiots for extremist movements, ignoring how anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist rhetoric routinely masks deep hostility toward civilizational standards.

This ideological drift has tangible consequences for daily life in a country where public safety is steadily deteriorating. While state-funded academic elites preach moral superiority from their ivory towers, ordinary citizens must navigate heavy security barriers at public festivals and growing fear after dark. Mainstream political leaders, including former Chancellor Angela Merkel and CDU chief Friedrich Merz, continuously evade these uncomfortable reality checks, often reducing antisemitic threats to generic xenophobia rather than naming their specific political and religious origins.

In this public debate, Engel stands alongside figures like historian Michael Wolffsohn as rare commentators willing to explicitly name left-wing antisemitism. Meanwhile, prominent institutional Jewish leaders remain strikingly quiet following recent regional elections. Claiming a right to defend one's country requires a political leadership willing to enforce law, order, and cultural confidence. As demographic shifts continue and political elites remain detached from reality, the central question remains whether Germany still possesses the collective will to protect its own foundation.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com