Local youth activists in Saxony have bricked up the entrance to a migrant voting station to protest what they see as a potential pathway for migrants to to eventually vote in German elections.
Early Friday morning members of the “Kontra-Kultur Halle” (Counter Culture in the city of Halle), an autonomous group mirroring the youth Identitarian movement, filled the doorway of an office rented out for the purpose of allowing migrants to vote in a mock election before the regional elections in Saxony.
‘We have been living here for thousands of years’ — posters placed on the mock polling station explain the group’s motives
The entrance was blocked with a seven-foot tall wall of hollow bricks and the words “NO WAY” spray-painted over them. The slogan was a clear reference to the “No Way” banners used by Identitarians during border protests.
The building was designated as a polling station to enable migrants to have a mock-vote in the upcoming elections on Sunday. The group putting the mock-vote on are attempting to highlight the fact that some eight million non-citizens in Germany do not have the right to vote in local or federal elections. The group also pasted up posters explaining their philosophy and blocked another polling station with chains.
The members of Counter Culture have a very different view on the purpose of the mock-voting stations . In a press release on their Facebook page they stated, “today’s “Straw vote” is not a step towards integration. It is another step in the direction of submission to the will of those who, daily flow illegally across our borders and are always making bolder claims on our country. The Sovereign in Germany, according to our basic law, is the German people.”
Speaking to Breitbart London, a spokesperson from the Kontra-Kulture Halle said: “our group mainly consists of volunteers, mostly university students, who want to offer young people an alternative in contrast to the consumerist society through offering political, cultural, sport and social activities.
“We are not a political party, but rather a social and cultural approach. This is meant by the name Kontrakultur: A viral and active challenge of globalism, on a local base, day by day.”
The spokesperson also said that they are not directly affiliated with the German Identitarian group, “we see ourselves as a part of a larger Europe-wide movement. Thus, we closely cooperate with Identitäre Bewegung (Identitarian Movement), but so far focus our activities mainly in our region, which also explains the colours we use. Probably we will intensify our cooperation in future.”
A source from the German Identitarian Movement told Breitbart London they were against the idea of a mock-vote for migrants saying, “for us Identitarians this is seen as yet another step to replace native Germans as the sovereign of our country. Basically German mainstream parties use mass immigration as a method to import people who’d vote for them.”
The organizer of the mock-vote and manager of the National Network of Migrant Organizations Saxony-Anhalt (Lamsa), Mahmad Mohammed, was shocked by the action. He told media that he was prepared for resistance to the idea of having an election for migrants and had received several emails expressing criticism. Another Lamsa employee told German magazine Der Spiegel “We have a complaint criminal damage and attempted assault,” while police said they were investigating the incident.
Lamsa said the mock election will still go ahead and noted that the wall that was built came down rather easily, indicating it was built as a statement and not intended to permanently block traffic into the building. The spokesman for Kontra Kultur confirmed this saying it was a “symbolic action.”
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