The rhetoric within the German Bundestag has descended into a concerning level of personal animosity, particularly impacting female parliamentarians, according to CDU politician and current head of the Christian Democratic Union’s women’s wing, Nina Warken. Speaking to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Minister of Health Warken detailed a pervasive pattern of demeaning and insulting comments emanating from the AfD (Alternative for Germany) parliamentary group.
Warken, who sits in close proximity to AfD members within the plenary chamber, asserted that the documented record drastically underestimates the severity of the abuse. She described a disturbing trend of remarks targeting not only political stances but also the appearance and clothing of female colleagues. These ranged from dismissive to overtly belittling, constituting, in her words, “shocking insults” inappropriate for the dignity of the parliamentary setting.
She underscored that this behavior reflects a problematic and outdated perception of women within German society and called for a united front to condemn such actions. While colleagues reportedly offer support to those targeted by the AfD’s verbal attacks, Warken emphasized the necessity for broader solidarity amongst women to combat online hate speech and harassment, a pervasive issue extending beyond the halls of parliament.
Warken, who has served in the Bundestag since 2018 and assumed her current leadership role in May, acknowledged experiencing this type of abuse firsthand. While she admits to ignoring some of the more blatant attacks on social media, she expressed growing concern over the increasing aggression and diminishing inhibitions surrounding online threats, harassment and insults. “The tone has become harsher and the threshold for posting threats, harassment and insults has clearly fallen” she stated, highlighting a worrying trend within the political discourse and broader societal climate.
