Politicall.ro Educare prin informare
Written by Ivan Cerovac, Monta Vaiteka, Matej Jordanov.
Radicalization is a process of causing someone to adopt radical positions on political or socia issues and it has been present in European politics for a long time. Radicalization can be and is often fueled by defamatory campaigns meaning using propaganda to spread disinformation about a certain group or organization. In the past years this kind of radicalization has become a problem because it usually leads to political violence and personal attacks.
Context
For almost two decades, a grand coalition of center-right (CDU/CSU) and center-left (SPD) parties in Germany has been trying to prevent far-right parties, particularly the AfD, from gaining significant political power. However, Germany has been facing numerous economic, social, and political hardships, including a recession, economic decline, a migration crisis, and an energy crisis marked by rising dependence on Russia for energy supplies. The recent war in Ukraine has intensified internal political struggles, while the results of the U.S. presidential elections and the rise of Donald Trump have increased pressure on mainstream, non-populist parties in Germany. Nowadays, with foreign powers influencing electoral processes worldwide, there is a growing fear that far-right parties might rise to power on the wings of popular dissatisfaction, mass paranoia directed toward immigrants, and the use of social media technologies to spread fake news through defamation campaigns that exacerbate people’s biases and prejudices.
The problem:
One example of defamation was the recent instance of vandalism to over 270 vehicles in Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, and Bavaria, aimed at the Green Party. On the 5th February of 2024, prosecutors reported that the exhaust pipes of the vehicles had been blocked by construction foam and stickers were placed on car windows with the message “Be greener!” which also featured a smiling face of Greens Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck. Allegedly, this attack has been arranged by Russia. One of the suspects stated that he and his accomplices had been approached and hired by a Russian individual via the messaging app Viber to carry out the attacks. He claimed they were given specific instructions and were promised a payment of €100 for each vehicle they damaged.
Impact/Consequences:
Defamatory campaigns represent a form of political manipulation that employs discrediting tactics to influence public political opinion. By spreading disinformation about political opponents, these campaigns aim to achieve two objectives. First, they seek to reinforce and amplify negative sentiments among those who already harbor unfavorable views of the targeted individuals, thereby influencing their voting behavior in favor of the opposing political option. Second, they aim to discredit the target in the eyes of their own supporters, causing disillusionment and ultimately leading them to abstain from voting in elections.
In both cases, these campaigns inflict serious damage on the democratic process—some citizens become politically active for the wrong reasons (based on disinformation), while others disengage from politics, also for the wrong reasons. Additionally, defamatory campaigns often create parallel narratives, where citizens receive conflicting information from polarized media sources.
Furthermore, such activities are frequently employed in hybrid information warfare, in which foreign agents deliberately disseminate false information or conduct covert operations (such as the previously mentioned incident involving car stickers) to manipulate public opinion and, consequently, decision-making processes. Liberal democracies are particularly vulnerable to these tactics. As democracies, the quality of their legislation depends on the knowledge and information available to voters, and as liberal systems, they lack certain authoritarian measures that could shield them from foreign interference.
Recent polls indicate that, ahead of the upcoming elections, nearly 90% of German voters fear foreign interference—particularly from Russia and China. Additionally, following several public statements by Elon Musk in support of the AfD, concerns about influence from the United States have also emerged.
Conclusion
The last decade has sometimes been considered the beginning of the post-truth age. Established authorities—political, social, and academic—are declining, and more and more people view politics not as a search for truth or a reasonable compromise but as an all-out war for the supremacy of their own convictions and values. This corresponds with the death of political fair play—a set of written and unwritten rules once endorsed by center-left and center-right parties, where certain actions were considered off-limits. The rise of defamatory campaigns that use disinformation to manipulate public opinion represents a serious challenge to liberal democracies. Now more than ever, we are becoming aware that this problem will not simply disappear. Unless a solution is found quickly, liberal democracies risk declining into populist or illiberal democratic regimes, or even hybrid regimes.
Sources:
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-police-suspect-russia-behind-car-vandalism/a-71517942
