The above is a Goethe quote, a favourite for two young people who used it for inspiration during the terrible time they lived in.

We had some anniversaries this week in Germany. 75 years. On Sunday, it was 75 years ago that siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl were arrested while dispensing anti-Nazi-leaflets in the university of Munich. Yesterday, it was 75 years ago that they were executed, after a quick show trial in which they were shouted at, denounced as traitors, as unpatriotic, stupid, emotional kids. They remained unbroken, meeting their murder-by-law with courage and dignity. (Their executioner lived on a long, profitable life. Ditto for the guy who arrested them.) Their hope that their actions and words would inspire more to rise up against the regime did not come true, and yet, as I've written here more than once, I can think of few people in German history whose fates touch me so deeply as those students (and one professor) who formed the small resistance group "The White Rose".

Now, our current bunch of Neonazis who for the first time since the war entered national parliament had the gall of, during the last elections, to claim "Sophie Scholl would vote for the AFD". This is on a level with "Harriet Tubman would join the Klu-Klux-Klan", if you want an US example in outrage. Of course, the AFD copies the Trump/Le Pen/Right Wing Thugs everywhere notebook precisely: say something outrageous, then have a speaker explain it wasn't meant like that and conclude to your admirers you're persecuted for your opinions.

The latest example of this was when they used the privilege of now being in the national parliament to demand there should be a declaration of parliamentary disapproval of two articles, published five years ago, by journalist Denis Yücel. (Background: Denis Yücel is a German-Turkish journalist of dual citizenship who a little more than a year ago was arrested in Istanbul while reporting from there with no official reason named for nearly a year until there was finally an official charge while he was at last released last week. Whether or not there was a deal is currently hotly debated. Our secretary of foreign affairs denies it. Anyway, this is why Yücel is currently one of the best known German-Turkish citizens. He, as well as prominent Green party member Cem Özdemir, were attacked by name in the AFD's "Shrove Wednesday" meeting with the vile rethoric you'd expect from fascists, with the speakers leading chants of "deport them, deport them!" to the tune of "lock her up" exactly. Incidentally, not only are they both German citizens but Özdemir was born here.) On one level, demanding this from parliament was pure theatre, because of course the AFD guys knew it was an unconstitutional demand going right against the freedom of press, and that no other party would sign on. They were wasting parliament's time. It was yet another PR stunt to get headlines and play to their admirers at home. So there were some people arguing parliament should simply have dismissed the request and not reacted in any other way.

But. There are things you can't do, if you're a country where there are still survivors, though only a very few left, of the last time a party like this spoke in parliament, pulled stunts like this, and eventually rose to power. There are some opportunities that demand a passionate refusal and a J'Accuse like denouncement, and this was one of them. And thus you had representatives of all the other parties eviscarating the AFD for the fascists they are, with Cem Özdemir giving the most memorable speech. For those of you who speak German, here's Özdemir's speech in totem. It's worth watching, and viscerally satisfying, too, summing up just what this party is to their faces. (I've tried to find an English translation for you in an article, but haven't succeeded.)