The Left Party's top candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, had nothing good to say about other German parties in a DW interview. But she says she would be willing to join a coalition government.
Image: DW/R.Oberhammer
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DW interview with Sahra Wagenknecht (2017)
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No foreign deployments for the German army, no arms exports and a limit on refugees: In a Deutsche Welle interview, Left Party top candidate and parliamentary group leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, offered an unmistakable outline of her party's positions. And she also made it clear that under her leadership the post-communist Left Party will have a distinctly leftist profile.
The interview with DW editor-in-chief, Ines Pohl, and reporter Jaafar Abdul Karim, was the first in a series of discussions with leading party candidates for Germany's upcoming parliamentary elections on September 24.
Wagenknecht was unambiguous about the role of Germany's army, the Bundeswehr: Germany must stay out of conflicts around the world, and that includes the fight against the "Islamic State" in Syria.
"I consider it so dishonest to say we are fighting terrorism, while at the same time cooperating with and delivering weapons to those who openly support terrorism."
The Left Party politician was also harsh in her judgment of Saudi Arabia. In the past she has repeatedly criticized German arms sales to Riyadh.
"Saudi Arabia plays a miserable role in all of this. They're not only a warring party in Syria, but have also been shown to be supplying materiel to Islamist organizations and financing Islamist terror groups."
Sahra Wagenknecht is the leader of the opposition in the German parliamentImage: picture alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
'More important to help on site'
Wagenknecht also repeated her assessment that Germany could not take in unlimited numbers of refugees. That stance has drawn criticism, even from within her own party.
"We are not helping the poor by accepting some people here, because they are unable to come to Germany. That is why I consider it much more important to help people on site."
It was in this context that Wagenknecht leveled criticism at Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). "Merkel made unilateral decisions that alienated the others. She was always acting unilaterally. That is no way to treat partners in a European partnership."
She went on to say that Germany must fundamentally change its role in relation to other EU member states: "Germany is, today, a country that is dominant in Europe, and which no longer acts as a partner."
The combative Left Party leader was also highly critical of Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She went after the Islamic umbrella organization DITIB, which is supported by the Turkish government, as well: "One must be careful not to support certain organizations in Germany, which, for example, support de-integration, teach hate, or that preach hate in mosques. DITIB is, of course, run by Erdogan (the Turkish government)," said Wagenknecht.
Ongoing purges and the jailing of elected officials have spurred tens of thousands to march hundreds of kilometers from the Turkish capital Ankara to Istanbul. Diego Cupolo caught up with protesters on Highway D100.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Protesters' calls for justice
Tens of thousands of protesters are on their way to Istanbul. The march is a response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ongoing purges following last year's failed coup and was sparked when opposition party MP Enis Berberoglu was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The march kicked off three weeks ago in Turkey's capital Ankara and is headed to the prison in Istanbul where Berberoglu is held.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Denouncing government crackdowns
Leading the way is Kemal Kilicdaroglu (c), head of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), who has been likened to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Kilicdaroglu said there is no other way to denounce ongoing crackdowns and the deterioration of democratic institutions. "We feel like we're marching against a wall, and we're going to demolish it," he told DW.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'Coalition against fascism'
"It's our obligation to form a coalition against the nation's slide towards fascism," said Tur Yildiz Bicer, CHP deputy for the city of Manisa. "After the referendum, we told ourselves 'No, it's not over' … Now we are seeing that even some AKP supporters are backing our march, and this shows people's minds are changing for the better." Some 20,000 to 40,000 people are out on the streets.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'Rights, law, justice'
One of the protesters is Vesyel Kilic, 65, from Rize, who said he voted for conservative parties until his son was jailed following last year's coup attempt. "It's been 12 months and he still doesn't have an indictment," Kilic said. "I want justice and I noticed this leftist ideology is close to my own, so I came out to support the march." Protesters here are demanding "rights, law, justice."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
United against Erdogan?
While the organizers with CHP said one of their main objectives was to unite opponents of Erdogan's agenda, the task will likely prove difficult as relations between Kemalists and Kurdish groups remain tepid due to the political risks involved in being affiliated with armed Kurdish movements. Above, marchers are shown resting in Tavsancil, Turkey, before continuing to Istanbul.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Backlash from Erdogan supporters
Protesters were often heckled and insulted by passing vehicles and crowds of Erdogan supporters who had gathered along the highway. "The march is not a fight for justice, it only brings shame to the people who are walking in this heat," said Umut Kaveci, 26, a transportation worker not pictured above. "They are just causing traffic [jams] and no one needs that."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Heavy police presence
Police presence was heavy throughout the march to deter possible attacks and altercations between groups of contrasting ideologies. For the most part, the protest proceeded smoothly, aside from occasional confrontations like this one, where an officer restrained a teenager and told him, "I've been walking with this march since Ankara and I haven't been aggressive with anyone. Don't test me."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Blisters and heat strokes
One of Kilicdaroglu's bodyguards gets his feet bandaged after another long day on the road. Blistered, swollen feet are common among marchers, as well as heat strokes. Temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent weeks and one protester died after suffering a heart attack during a prolonged uphill climb.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Rough terrain
Regardless of the obstacles, demonstrators have followed Kilicdaroglu's lead through Turkey's rough terrain. The march covers up to 20 km (12 miles) per day. By night, protesters either return to their homes or camp out on CHP funded campsites where they are provided with food and rudimentary shelter. Above, an exhausted protester sleeps in a dining tent in Tavsancil, just east of Istanbul.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'Doing this for my grandchildren'
Husnu Sucu, a 58-year-old retiree, said he remained undeterred after walking more than 120 km in eight days and was camping each night with the protesters. "I am doing this for my grandchildren," Sucu said. "We cannot let the current government continue doing what it wants without doing something about it. It is too dangerous for the future of our country."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
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Does the Left want to govern?
The Left Party parliamentary group leader went on to say that her party is fundamentally prepared to accept the responsibility of governing. Some three weeks ago, at its party convention in Hanover, the Left adopted a clearly leftist campaign program, one that Wagenknecht in large part promoted.
Most observers saw it as a clear renunciation of any possible post-election governing coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens. "I want to govern, but I do not want to practice neo-liberal politics. I want no part in shaping predatory capitalism," Wagenknecht said in the DW interview.
The wife of former Left Party and SPD top politician Oskar Lafontaine also offered a few insights into her personal life: She writes most of her own tweets and Facebook comments, though at times she lets staff write them as well. She likes to sleep in if she has the time.
And asked which German politician she would take with her to a deserted island if faced with the choice, she answered: Christian Lindner, leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP). Wagenknecht explained that the two have absolutely nothing in common, so they would have little to fight about.
