Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius (SPD) is urging democratic forces in Germany to handle the national anthem and national colors with greater self-confidence and assertiveness. Speaking to publications of the Funke media group, Pistorius stated that these national symbols should not be allowed to be usurped by right-wing extremists, adding that he encourages an “offensive adoption” of these symbols.
The SPD politician heavily criticized the Alternative for Germany (AfD), calling it “pure mockery” that the AfD chooses to use the national colors while claiming to be the truest patriots-a claim he argues contradicts the fact that their program contains nothing beneficial for the country. In Pistorius’ view, the AfD is inherently unpatriotic, citing their close ties to Putin as a key indicator.
Instead, Pistorius highlighted that it is mainstream democrats across the political spectrum who genuinely stand for freedom, the Basic Law, and shared values. Therefore, he argued, there should be no “false shame” regarding how people treat state symbols; instead, they should be handled with pride.
The minister noted that he personally sings the national anthem one to two times per week at Bundeswehr events. He clarified that his appeal is not about fostering “Hurra-patriotism,” but rather about recognizing that the democracy Germany upholds is the greatest achievement of the nation’s history, and it deserves to be defended and protected. The official national symbols of the Federal Republic are defined as the Black-Red-Gold federal flag, the federal coat of arms featuring the federal eagle, and the national anthem.
