Demonstrations surrounding last week’s G20 meeting in
Hamburg have produced more headlines than the issues discussed at the meeting
itself. Is that justified?
Beyond the obvious fact that G20 meetings logically
tend to discuss existing topics that have been in the public debate for some
time, rather than hitherto unknown topics – violence, hundreds of policemen hurt, looting
of shops, and above all pictures of torched cars, smoke and fires burning in
the streets of a rich city are what makes news.
Germany is a well-managed democracy, which tries to
allow outlets for venting political and social frustration. It is in this
context that the German government wished to demonstrate the ability of
permitting, whilst containing, the democratic display of opposition. It went
terribly wrong. But is that of any long term significance?
Unlike the Muslim world, which is undergoing a monumental
internal culture war – a war that is being financed and enabled by competing
powerful states, that seem to be successful in causing trouble on one hand
whilst being total failures in looking after the true interests of their own
populations – Germany is at peace with itself.
It is a shame (although, to be expected in an election
year) that some German politicians are trying to make party political capital of
the Hamburg fiasco. But at the end of the day, it was no more than out of
control hooliganism together with most probably a small number of extremist
political activists. It was this combined with the German government’s wish to
allow peaceful demonstrations and rather unfortunate and inefficient policing.
As such, it is of no long term significance.
