Berlin / Washington— In the background of outgoing leisure tourism from Germany to the United States of America in a freefall, the German civil society network composed of independent organizations and private citizens has released a stark public message addressed directly to Americans, warning that democracy in the United States is “in grave jeopardy” and urging peaceful civic action to defend democratic institutions.
The statement, delivered as a recorded address, draws heavily on Germany’s historical experience with fascism and the collapse of democracy in the early 20th century. Members of the network include Grannies Against the Far Right , a women-led initiative founded in Vienna in 2017 and active in Germany since 2018, which campaigns against right-wing populism and extremism across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The speakers describe themselves as women who grew up in postwar Germany, some of whom lived through the Second World War. They frame their message as a moral responsibility born of history, emphasizing Germany’s postwar constitutional commitment to “never again” allow fascism to take hold.
The address expresses gratitude to the United States for its role in liberating Germany from Nazism, while warning that contemporary American political developments show alarming parallels to the rapid democratic collapse of the Weimar Republic in 1933. The speakers cite political division, attacks on the rule of law, suppression of institutions, corruption, and the targeting of migrants as warning signs they recognize from their own history.
They also cite recent large-scale protests in the United States as evidence of hope and civic resistance, urging Americans across the political spectrum to defend democratic norms.
Below is the full transcript of the statement, reproduced in its entirety and unabridged.
Full Transcript: Statement Addressed to the American Public
Dear American citizens,
We have an urgent message for all Americans.
We are observing a democracy in grave jeopardy, with great risk to the freedoms that Americans hold so dear. We know this because we have been there. And we encourage and support peaceful and civil protest and action to defend and save those freedoms.
We are a German non-governmental civil society network of independent organizations and private individuals. One of our members is a working group known as Grannies Against the Far Right , who, after being founded in Vienna, Austria in 2017, have been active in Germany since 2018.
They are recognized as one of the most influential civil society women’s initiatives in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, campaigning against right-wing populism and for democracy.
The German Grannies Against the Far Right are mostly women who grew up in postwar Germany. Some of them experienced the Second World War themselves.
In this network, we have joined forces to take a stand against right-wing extremist ideologies and fascism. Given Germany’s history, we see this as our collective duty—especially to our children and grandchildren.
We know from our own experience how fascism can destroy a country, its freedom, and its society. And it is our responsibility to leave our descendants and future generations a world in which there is no place for dictatorship, hatred, and fear.
World War II destroyed Europe and killed millions of people. Promises of greatness and superiority led our nation into a war of annihilation against our neighbors. These promises duped people into following an egregious and inhumane ideology that classified some lives as unworthy.
It has taken generations to try to heal these wounds, and they remain.
That is why, after the Second World War, Germany took an oath on which our constitution is based: never again will we allow ourselves to be ruled by fascism.
Without the United States, the Allied forces would not have succeeded in liberating Germany from the terror of Nazism. We remain profoundly grateful for this. Without your country, Germany would not have democracy today.
This connects our two countries, and it is the reason we appeal to you so urgently today to warn all Americans: your democracy is in danger.
When we look at today’s America, we see a deeply divided nation. We no longer see the country that helped liberate us a mere 80 years ago. What we see today leaves us profoundly shaken.
“Make America Great Again” is a right-wing populist slogan, and slogans like these justify fascism. We know because we have seen this before. We understand how fascism grows and how it manipulates citizens with false promises that exploit their fears and prejudices.
We know because, in our country too, people longed for a strong leader and believed his promises.
MAGA leaders are rapidly destroying American democracy, American society, and increasingly the American economy, while enriching themselves in the process. It was no different here in 1933.
At first, some people believed they were benefiting from Hitler’s policies—but that changed quickly. The fascists had already divided people into categories and cruelly judged their worth and their lives. Once Hitler became chancellor in January 1933, it took the Nazis only two months to completely destroy Weimar democracy.
Watching your federal government occupy cities and target migrants is eerily familiar.
The rapid destruction of the rule of law; the suppression of speech, including the press, universities, science, and the basic right of assembly; imperialist fantasies about conquering other countries—even allies; information control and centralized propaganda; blatant corruption at the highest level; violent expulsions of people under the guise of illegal migration; and an exodus of the brightest minds to other countries where they can freely do their work—
All of this is deeply alarming.
MAGA cannot offer a future for the American Dream. Worse, the crisis of your democracy is directly linked to our future—and indeed to that of the world.
But there is hope.
We are seeing peaceful resistance to this new fascism. Most recently, in response to ISIS violence in Minneapolis and in other cities, the No Kings movement has mobilized millions of protesters. These demonstrations are larger than anything seen in Germany after 1933.
The time to act is now. History has taught us that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.
We believe in the goodness of the American people. We know that there are millions of citizens on both sides of the political spectrum who are deeply concerned about the path their country is on—including those who believed their vote would make America great.
Many hoped for a better future, but all they have received are lies.
The time is now for the citizens of America to stand up to fascism and defend your democracy—just as you did for Germany and the world.
You still have a chance to do what our ancestors failed to do.
Know that you are not alone. We are facing similar dangers here in Germany and across Europe. But there are many good people standing up for each other—for democracy, human rights, and a positive shared future.
Never again is now.
Hi Juergen,
Greetings from Melbourne.
I regret not having responded to another article you published earlier, but I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and commend the publication of “German Activists Warn Americans: ‘We’ve Seen Democracy Fall Before”.
As a social psychologist specialising in travel and tourism, I consistently emphasise that developments within tourism cannot be meaningfully separated from broader social, cultural, and political dynamics.
Tourism is a microcosm of society—a view I believe also articulated, notably, by H.E. Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa during her UNWTO candidacy. Tourism, in many ways, is a reflection of society at large. Vigilance beyond sectoral boundaries is therefore essential.
Having grown up in Germany, not unlike you, I found your article—particularly the translated voices of German activists, including the group known as “Grannies Against the Far Right” both resonant and necessary. Their warnings are grounded in lived historical memory, not abstract ideology.
For some time, I have been concerned about the increasingly sophisticated and covert mechanisms used to influence and control populations, especially through polarisation, fear, and addiction to social media and now AI.
What we are currently witnessing reflects well-documented Machiavellianism: the manipulation of mindsets and emotions, the elevation of ignorance to the status of moral righteousness, and the encouragement of disengagement through narratives such as “this does not affect me.”
History shows that such disengagement persists until the consequences reach one’s own family, community, or sense of safety. I remember the stories being passed down by my parents and grandparents.
Many individuals may fail to recognise these dynamics, or choose to ignore them, because doing so is deeply unsettling—particularly at a time when many are already grappling with existential uncertainty, social fragmentation, growing poverty, and a perceived loss of agency.
I am concerned about all forms of exclusionary and authoritarian ideologies, none more so what is referred to as Trumpism, which encapsulates racism, sexism, and all other divisive “isms.”
I want to quickly add: Living in societies already shaped by ageism, the label “grannies”, while a relevant term adopted by the German activist group, can be easily weaponised. Especially in our present cultural climate, where labelling and pathologizing dissent have become disturbingly normalised, the wisdom, legitimacy, and civic agency of older voices can easily and conveniently be trivialised or dismissed.
The deeper issue, here, is the gradual erosion of agency in everyday life—an erosion that directly undermines the very notions of quality of life, wellbeing, and peace that are so frequently invoked yet insufficiently examined and acted upon.
As former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated in his 2003 address at the University of Tübingen, “We need to find within ourselves the will to live by the values we proclaim—in our private lives, in our local and national societies.”
Acting on values beyond immediate self-interest requires curiosity, moral courage, and a recognition of humanity as an interconnected whole. Ultimately, the quality of our lives is inseparable from the quality of our relationships with others and our environments—and from our willingness to protect the conditions that make those relationships possible.
Best wishes,Birgit