Offensive remark - Women face demeaning insults in everyday language.
Irme Stetter-Karp has been dubbed a "department head under Satan" and someone who performs "the devil's work" by critics. The president of the German Catholics' Central Committee received a message saying, "You should be in prison." But this isn't the end of it. When the head of a Catholic lay organization spoke out against paragraph 218 on abortion, someone replied, "Your mother shouldn't have given birth to you."
Stetter-Karp spoke about this topic with climate activist Luisa Neubauer and Green politician Katrin Göring-Eckardt during a Catholic Day event in Erfurt over the weekend. The three influential women shared their experiences of receiving hateful messages, both online and off – including verbally, via letters, and even at public gatherings. All three affirmed their intention to keep moving forward in spite of the vile threats and verbal attacks.
The dehumanization of politics
The aggressive tone on the internet is nothing new. Those in the public eye seem powerless against it. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also shared her experience at another Catholic Day event. "There are people who are just waiting for something to go wrong, and they want to unnerve you in the end," noted the Green politician. The ultimate goal is to strip politicians of their humanity and make them seem inhuman. "That's what some actors who want to scream hatred and dehumanize politics want," said Baerbock.
Organizations like the non-profit "HateAid" are working against this. Many politicians are now submitting complaints regarding the verbal violence they face. Everyone is aware of the potential consequences of verbal hatred. For instance, five years ago, CDU politician Walter Lübcke was murdered, and recently, thugs attacked SPD politician Matthias Ecke while he was putting up posters, leaving him hospitalized.
"Go to the concentration camp after the next election"
These hazards are often overlooked. What is less well-known, however, is the hate directed at individual women. The audience in Erfurt's Town Hall was silent and shocked when Göring-Eckardt, Stetter-Karp, and Neubauer read out a few examples of the hate mail they've received. For instance, someone wrote, "After the next election, it goes to the concentration camp." Göring-Eckardt received this insult. Another said, "Just have a hole drilled in your head, and you could at least be used as a birdhouse."
Neubauer has been called an "eco-fascist," a "brain-damaged trans," a "climate-spastic," a "deceptive child abuser," a "drunken dirt communist," and a "monstrous Hitler face." One person even wished her a safe death. Her mother received a seven-kilogram gravemarker with her daughter's name on it.
How do you deal with it? Generally speaking, the women agree that it's necessary not to read and respond to everything, not to let it affect them. Neubauer said: "All those who thought I'd be huddled in a corner, not doing anything? Here I am." She refuses to see these insults as her own, private problem. It's a societal scandal. However, Neubauer also mentioned, "It's truly horrifying."
It's not just about her, but also about her family. Her grandmother, for example, received a call from a seemingly pleasant person who, later, launched into a violent rant. Neubauer then had to coach her grandmother in dealing with such situations. Stetter-Karp also mentioned that she's had to "train" her "beloved husband" in defensive reflexes that he'd otherwise find rude, like telling him, "Just lie down."
Stetter-Karp views the hateful comments against her as part of the role of women in her church. When she once initiated a campaign for the care of children under the age of three, she received thousands of letters, even from France. Apparently, this childcare offer was problematic for those who wanted mothers to remain at home. Stetter-Karp says she tries not to let the hatred affect her. But when the attacks persist for weeks, it "puts me in a slightly different state."
When receiving hate mail at her personal address, Stetter-Karp takes extra precautions for a few days. Neubauer has bodyguards for public events, a privilege afforded to her as Vice President of the German Bundestag. She also employs disguises at times. Her comments were made in all seriousness, and she added, "I won't disclose which ones." She still sometimes says, "Is that Göring-Eckardt? Yes, I'm often mistaken for her." In the past, she rarely experienced being spat on. However, it now happens nearly every week, according to the Green party member.
To lighten the mood after a heated exchange in Erfurt, Göring-Eckardt recounted what gives her hope. Early in May, a group of individuals in Lunow-Stolzenhagen, Brandenburg, impeded her departure from an event by obstructing her car. Afterward, she received letters from unknown individuals offering to assist in her security: "If you ever return to Brandenburg, we'll be there."
Neubauer stated that 95% of her interactions are amicable and charming. It's not worth dwelling on those who post death threats on Facebook. "They wish for us to be blind to any other emotions but hatred," she said.
