Chemnitz Protest

 
 
 
 

Vocabulary

loud	clear (2)	message (2)
rally	protest	tolerance
loud	clear (2)	forget/forgot/forgotten
scene	suspend	encourage
oppose	contrast	take to the streets
far left	far-right	take place
media	distrust	mainstream
united	migrant	demonstration
stark	neglect	solidarity
fatal	suspect	collusion
analyst	flow (2)	throw/threw/thrown
loud	violence	integration
stab	highlight	altercation
leak (2)	judicial	each other
wonder	ugly (2)	figure (3)
suffice	shift (2)	approach (2)
wide	level (3)	fireworks
		seemingly

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 

Transcript

 
 
 
 

German Protests

Far-Right Rallies in Chemnitz

Their message is loud and it is clear: they are the people whom their country has forgotten, neglected so they say by a government that encourages tolerance and integration.

On Thursday, they took to the streets of Chemnitz to oppose a meeting of solidarity between the main parties taking place nearby. And to highlight their distrust of mainstream media.

Perhaps around a thousand people were here, protesting against the numbers of migrants in Chemnitz. In fact, official figures show only around one-and-a-half percent of the population here is from Syria and Afghanistan.

This demonstration was peaceful, in stark contrast to the scenes on Sunday and Monday when thousands of far right and far left protesters threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at each other and at the police.

The violence flowed from the events on Sunday morning when a German national was fatally stabbed during an altercation with two migrants.

In the wake of that, many people wondered if there’s been collusion between elements of the far-right and someone in the judicial system.

On Thursday, an official admitted to having leaked the details of the suspects. He has been suspended.

On a wider level, this week many Germans have been wondering about the strength of the far-right in Saxony. One local analyst explained how their approach has shifted.

Werner Patzelt, Analyst: “They use Facebook and Twitter. And if this should not suffice, they make telephone calls. And they say, well something ugly has been happening here. We have to show that we do not agree with that, and we have to make clear that there are many of us.”

The people here speak with a loud voice and seemingly a united voice. But their numbers across Germany remain very, very small — but their message certainly is being heard across this country.

 

 

Questions

1. The protesters like their government. True or false?

2. Do they have faith in the major political parties?

3. The city of Chemnitz is flooded with migrants. Is this right or wrong?

4. Were the protests peaceful, violent or both?

5. What sparked or ignited the demonstrations?

6. The video mentioned a “collusion”. Elaborate on this.

7. The demonstrations materialize spontaneous. Is this correct or incorrect?

8. Do all, most, many, some, a few or no Germans belong to these groups?

 

A. There are far-right elements in my city or country. Yes or no? Are they concentrated in certain places or spread all over the country? Are there places where they are absent?

B. Describe them in terms of demographics.

C. What is their agenda?

D. Does everyone agree with them? Is there opposition to them?

E. What might happen in the future?

F. Should people or governments do anything?