Rüdiger’s treatment a damning representation of modern Germany

 

Rüdiger’s treatment a damning representation of modern Germany | Jonathan Liew

 "Defender should be able to count on a nation behind him but far-right nationalism reflects society’s ingrained racism

And of course this is all part of a broader strategy, a concerted effort to position football as a frontline in the struggle for the soul of the nation. On social media, disinformation and flat-out untruths have been propagated by far-right accounts and allowed to flourish largely unchallenged. One viral video shows a prayer room in the fan zone in Berlin, with the (false) suggestion that it has been installed for Muslims alone. Another widely shared post rages at the ban on German flags in fan parks, a ban that does not and has never existed.

While it’s easy to dismiss this kind of stuff as the kind of desperate nonsense barely worth dignifying with comment – and you know, when has fringe far-right German nationalism ever really hurt anyone? – there is a subtext here, and by identifying it now we can all spare ourselves a lot of performative shock later. “This team is not a national team, but a politically correct mercenary troupe,” the MEP Maximilian Krah declared before the start of the Euros."

read article by Jonathan Liew

Rüdiger’s treatment a damning representation of modern Germany | Germany | The Guardian