The first African-born MP to enter the German parliament has announced he will not be standing in next year’s federal election, weeks after he revealed the hate mail, including racist slurs and death threats, he and his staff had received.

Karamba Diaby, 62, who entered the Bundestag in 2013 in a moment hailed as historic by equality campaigners, said he wanted to spend more time with his family and to make room for younger politicians.

Diaby said the racist slurs and death threats were “not the main reasons” for his decision, having frequently emphasised he would not be cowed by threats. But they are widely believed they have played a part.

He has increasingly faced racist abuse in recent years. His constituency office in Halle, Saxony Anhalt, has been an arson target, and has had bullets fired through the window. Some staff have faced blackmail attempts to stop them working for him and have been subjected to and threats, Diaby said.

  • RBG
    link
    fedilink
    English
    1834 months ago

    This guy has been living in East Germany since fucking 1985. It saddens me to read this. Fuck the AfD.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      1064 months ago

      Fuck the AfD Voters…I’ve been destroying years of friendships, because it turns out they voted AfD. I’m sick and tired of these fuckers enabling these clowns. This is definitely not my Germany anymore.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        33
        edit-2
        4 months ago

        The friendship purge hurts… it’s tough to see that people you knew for years are lost like that.

        I also feel kind of helpless with the current political climate. I don’t get why people are so hateful and stupid otherwise they would see right through the BS Höcke et al are making up all the time >.<

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          174 months ago

          It sucks, for sure. As an American, I went through this back in 2016, and in the years since - with another notable wave occurring after January 6th.

          It’s frustrating, but I genuinely do feel a moral duty to aggressively shun and abuse fascists, no matter how long I’ve known them or how I’m related to them before I found out.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            8
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            It’s not just a moral duty, it’s a damn duty for your country. Those idiots shouting “We are the true patriots” have lost everything both our countries stood for since we lost the war and you won it. The respect for people, the respect for different cultures, the knowledge that many of the laws our societes stand on are written in blood - hell, the respect to disagree and the ability do have different opinions.

      • Flying SquidM
        link
        fedilink
        English
        194 months ago

        I totally sympathize. A lot of us Americans had to do the same thing back in 2016. I cut off contact with a lot of people and have never gotten back in touch.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        84 months ago

        Keeping these friendships going could combat their radicalization, but I’m not faulting you, I also cancelled friendships over this.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          124 months ago

          I have no issue if political views don’t line up, in fact I welcome discussions and I have been wrong many times on some topics. However, the line has to be drawn somewhere, and that somewhere is openly advocating for racism or other views, that simply cannot stand in a society that aligns with modern “western” views. (Too many individual points that we take for granted these days)

            • @[email protected]
              link
              fedilink
              English
              14 months ago

              I do too. If anyone can’t follow those basic rules, they have no place in our society.

              • @[email protected]
                link
                fedilink
                English
                14 months ago

                I guess if we can’t deradicalize our own extremists, why do we expect we can deradicalize the immigrants that are islamic extremists.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          44 months ago

          If I cancelled all of the friendships I have with radicalized people, I would almost certainly have to isolate my little family completely.

          I do try to talk time back over the line, but I don’t think I have ever succeeded.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        84 months ago

        do you need to condescendingly question other people’s freedom of expression? if you pearl clutch over seeing a comment which says ‘fuck’, maybe the internet is a little much for you to handle.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          -104 months ago

          If dropping an F-bomb is your pinnacle of free speech, maybe you need a refresher on mature discussions. The internet might be too advanced for you if that’s the best you’ve got