Election arena: ARD sends two activists trained by a left agency to the show. – Domestic policy


“This time, too, the aim is to focus on the concerns, problems and concerns of the citizens.”

This is how ARD describes the concept of the “election arena” on its website.

But for one participant it was by no means about presenting “worries, problems and concerns”. She had a different goal: to “get ready”.

An “activist agency” called “hartaberlinks” had trained with the pupil, giving her special training. The agency’s founder is no stranger, her name is Emily Laquer (34) and is assigned to the left-wing extremist scene by the Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution. She describes herself as a communist and took part in the G20 blockades, in which hundreds of police officers were injured in 2017.

Unsurprisingly, the question resembled a reckoning: “Your climate policy has actually been a catastrophe in recent years, has been marked by blatant mistakes and scandals!” The student ranted.

The questioner with Armin Laschet on ARD. We made the youngsters unrecognizablePhoto: ARD

Neither party has a plan for climate protection, “but the CDU and you in particular have really failed particularly badly in recent years!” She wanted to hear “immediate measures” from Laschet.

“Thanks to the training I am now well prepared to finish it”

Laquer (who specializes in “left media strategy” according to his Twitter biography) cheered even before appearing on the network: “I got to know this blatant activist at the last Hartaberlinks talk show training.” The student replied: “Thanks to the training, I am well prepared now to finish him ”. She promised to let Laschet “sweat”.

But with “get ready” it didn’t work out. The Chancellor candidate reacted soberly to the allegations (including Hambacher Forst, Datteln IV, Renewable Energies): “You have made three allegations, where I could briefly reply that they were all wrong”. But he also praised the student: “It’s also good that we are discussing”. And: The goal is not far apart, but the approach is.

“Shouldn’t the electoral arena show citizens instead of people with an agenda?”

BILD met the activist after the “election arena” talk. She explained that she had applied quite normally with a “climate policy question”. “That’s not the one I asked now – but then I was selected and got a call.”

And: There was even another activist who was trained by the left-wing extremist agency before appearing in the ARD election arena. The agency confirmed on Twitter that the “Black Lives Matter” activist had taken part in the training before she was allowed to “confront” the CDU candidate for chancellor on ARD, as the coaches proudly put it.

In the social networks, the questioners’ background caused irritation:

► “What Armin Laschet is apparently expecting in the electoral arena today is not normal citizen questions, but trained activists. What does the ARD think about this? Shouldn’t the electoral arena show citizens instead of people with an agenda? ”Wonders a viewer.

► FAZ journalist Philip Plickert (42) comments: “In your electoral arena, a ‘blatant’ FFF activist specially trained by leftists is invited and let loose as a questioner on Laschet? Emily Laqueur – according to the protection of the constitution, a left-wing radical – is enthusiastic. The fee Michel is deceived. “

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