Front Deutscher Äpfel

The Front Deutscher Äpfel (short F.D.Ä.; German for "Front of German Apples"), also called Apfelfront (Apple Front) is a satirical organisation, founded in Leipzig in 2004. It satirizes right extremist parties, especially the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD). In the style of former and existing right extremist organisational structures it is subdivided into numerous sub-groups like the youth organisation "Nationales Frischobst Deutschland" (NFD; "National Fresh Fruit of Germany"), the women's organisation "Bund weicher Birnen" (B.W.B.; "League of Soft Pears", compare League of German Girls; Birne, "pear", is a German colloquial term for head, "eine weiche Birne haben" ("to have a soft pear"), is synonymous to "being very stupid") and many further local "Gaue".

Platform

The Apple Front argues political requirements for purification of the German fruit crop. The organisation describes itself as "Nationale Initiative gegen die Überfremdung des deutschen Obstbestandes und gegen faul herumlungerndes Fallobst" - translated "National initiative against the overforeignization of German fruit crop and against lazy/rotten mooching fallen fruit" ("faul" means both "lazy" and "rotten").

The key demands of the of the organisation are:
# Termination of the overforeignisation of German fruit by engrafting of foreign species.
# Closing the borders against tropical fruits ("Grenzen dicht für Fremdobst!" - English "Close the borders against foreign fruit!").
# Elimination of lazy/rotten (compare "faul" above) windfall ("Macht Fallobst zu Mus!" - English "Make windfall to mush!").

The Apfelfront tries to use overly germanized terminology in press releases and statements, at public demonstrations and on their website only like original right and extreme right Internet services and mimics the public appearance of the NSDAP and modern right extrememist organisations. Therefore "homepage" is called "Heimseite", "webpage" is named "Weltnetzseite"' and "bulletin board/forum" is turned into "Brett" (all three English terms are common in current German usage; the translated/transformed German terms are commonly perceived as xenophobic or at least ridiculous in context of information technology).

Especially terms, slogans and rhetorical devices used by the NPD and especially by Holger Apfel, their chairperson in the Landtag of Saxony, such as "Grenzen dicht!" ("Close the borders!") are picked up by the Apple Front and get used overly explicit but are changed in their political message to orcharding and fruit utilization in order to make the original political statements and their representatives ridiculous.

History and activities

The "Front Deutscher Äpfel" was founded shortly after the Saxon election of 19 September, 2004. The group, and Alf Thum, its founder, considers itself less leftist than as non-right. They consider themselves to be artists who are trying to break away from the demonstration-counterdemonstration ritual.

The Front's youth organisation (most German political parties have active youth organisations) is called Nationales Frischobst Deutschlands ("National Fresh Fruit of Germany"). The "Bund deutscher Birnen" is affiliated with them in their "national struggle".

Since its founding, the Apfelfront has attended all larger NPD and neo-nazi marches/parades, especially in Eastern Germany. They also have gotten involved with "Berlin 05", a youth politics festival sponsored by the German federal government.

The Apfelfront has also been represented in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since August 2006.

Commentary

Disruptions occasionally arise after an appearance by the Apfelfront, especially as the flags and symbols are not always immediately recognised as a parody. Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk published an article about the NPD on 25 July, 2006, in which it portrayed a photo of the Apfelfront, with a subtitle, "The NPD wants to distance itself from its image of violence". The mistake was soon noticed, and the picture was removed.

ources

* Anke Wolf: "Widerstand gegen Rechts einmal anders" [http://www.projekt-p.de/popup/popup_druckversion/AKMC7W.html www.projekt-p.de] 2005
* Sven Näbrich: "Verbunden mit der deutschen Rundfrucht" Sächsische Zeitung, 12. Juni 2005 – zitiert in: Aktion Zivilcourage Pirna: [http://www.nadeshda.org/foren/cl.politik.antifa-presseschau/p4242s4243a20.html "Die Rundfrucht-Patrioten" www.nadeshda.org]

ee also

* Culture jamming
* Discordianism
* Guerrilla marketing
* Spaßguerilla

External links

* [http://www.apfelfront.de/ www.apfelfront.de] Website of the "PAGENAME"
* [http://www.apfelfront.de/nfd www.apfelfront.de/nfd] Website of the "Jugendorganisation NFD"
* [http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/wunderbar/0,1518,414103,00.html Satire gegen Rechtsradikale: Ein Apfel für die Nazis]
* [http://www.jungewelt.de/2006/05-10/016.php Interview in der JW: »Wir setzen auf das Zwerchfell«]