SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
People take part in a gathering under the motto: 'Heart Instead Of Baiting' ('Herz Statt Hetze') to counter a right-wing gathering that was to take place nearby on September 1, 2018 in Chemnitz, Germany. (Photo: Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)
Echoes of Sanders and Corbyn as Left-Wing 'Stand Up' Movement Vows 'New Political Revolt' in Germany
"Those in power have absolutely no feeling any more for what the people are going through. That's why we want Stand Up, so that people like you and I get a voice, and that politics is done for the millions, not for billionaires."
Sep 04, 2018
Looking to spark a political revolution in the mold of Sen. Bernie Sanders' in the U.S. and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn's in the U.K., Sahra Wagenknecht and her husband Oskar Lafontaine--two leading figures of the German left-wing party Die Linke--officially launched the "Stand Up" movement on Tuesday with the goal of confronting Germany's "crisis of democracy," countering the rise of the nation's racist far-right, and offering an inspiring alternative.
"The globalization steered by corporations, the disintegration of the welfare state, an endless string of new wars--this not a force of nature. There are alternatives to it and we want to give people back the hope that politics can be changed."
--Sahra Wagenknecht
"Many people don't feel represented any more and are turning their backs on politics. This is more than just a feeling," Wagenknect said at a press conference on Tuesday, citing economic data showing that 40 percent of German citizens have less take-home pay today than they did two decades ago. "In such a country democracy is no longer functioning."
"This is about courage to overcome the neoliberal mainstream, about a social policy in the interest of the majority," Wagenknecht added in an interview with the website Nachdenkenseiten.de. "The globalization steered by corporations, the disintegration of the welfare state, an endless string of new wars--this not a force of nature. There are alternatives to it and we want to give people back the hope that politics can be changed."
The emergence of the Stand Up movement--which has also been translated as "Get Up" and "Rise Up"--comes just days after thousands of neo-Nazis marched and rioted in the German city of Chemnitz, just one of many signs that the nation's far-right is emboldened and increasingly dangerous.
Wagenknect argued that a left-wing populist movement like Stand Up is necessary to counter the pseudo-populism of the right, which seeks to exploit very real economic suffering and despair for racist aims.
"Anger that has been piling up has helped form a breeding ground for hate and violence. If we don't take counter measures this country will not be recognisable within five to 10 years," Wagenknect argued during the launch of Stand Up on Tuesday. "The climate is more raw than ever, the social divides are deeper. Had we needed another impulse then the events in Chemnitz show us that we urgently need a new political revolt."
"That's why we want Stand Up, so that people like you and I get a voice, and that politics is done for the millions, not for billionaires."
--Mario, Stand Up supporterAccording toThe Local, Stand Up's primary objective is to galvanize and inspire members of the "Die Linke party, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), and ecologist Greens--but also to win back disenchanted working-class voters who have drifted to far-right protest parties."
While the leaders of Stand Up have not explicitly modeled their movement after Sanders' "political revolution" in the U.S. or Corbyn's "for the many, not the few" campaign in the U.K., the parallels are obvious in the rhetoric and political goals of the movement's supporters.
"The main problem for me is those in power have absolutely no feeling any more for what the people are going through," Mario, a supporter of Stand Up, declared in an interview on the movement's website. "That's why we want Stand Up, so that people like you and I get a voice, and that politics is done for the millions, not for billionaires."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Looking to spark a political revolution in the mold of Sen. Bernie Sanders' in the U.S. and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn's in the U.K., Sahra Wagenknecht and her husband Oskar Lafontaine--two leading figures of the German left-wing party Die Linke--officially launched the "Stand Up" movement on Tuesday with the goal of confronting Germany's "crisis of democracy," countering the rise of the nation's racist far-right, and offering an inspiring alternative.
"The globalization steered by corporations, the disintegration of the welfare state, an endless string of new wars--this not a force of nature. There are alternatives to it and we want to give people back the hope that politics can be changed."
--Sahra Wagenknecht
"Many people don't feel represented any more and are turning their backs on politics. This is more than just a feeling," Wagenknect said at a press conference on Tuesday, citing economic data showing that 40 percent of German citizens have less take-home pay today than they did two decades ago. "In such a country democracy is no longer functioning."
"This is about courage to overcome the neoliberal mainstream, about a social policy in the interest of the majority," Wagenknecht added in an interview with the website Nachdenkenseiten.de. "The globalization steered by corporations, the disintegration of the welfare state, an endless string of new wars--this not a force of nature. There are alternatives to it and we want to give people back the hope that politics can be changed."
The emergence of the Stand Up movement--which has also been translated as "Get Up" and "Rise Up"--comes just days after thousands of neo-Nazis marched and rioted in the German city of Chemnitz, just one of many signs that the nation's far-right is emboldened and increasingly dangerous.
Wagenknect argued that a left-wing populist movement like Stand Up is necessary to counter the pseudo-populism of the right, which seeks to exploit very real economic suffering and despair for racist aims.
"Anger that has been piling up has helped form a breeding ground for hate and violence. If we don't take counter measures this country will not be recognisable within five to 10 years," Wagenknect argued during the launch of Stand Up on Tuesday. "The climate is more raw than ever, the social divides are deeper. Had we needed another impulse then the events in Chemnitz show us that we urgently need a new political revolt."
"That's why we want Stand Up, so that people like you and I get a voice, and that politics is done for the millions, not for billionaires."
--Mario, Stand Up supporterAccording toThe Local, Stand Up's primary objective is to galvanize and inspire members of the "Die Linke party, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), and ecologist Greens--but also to win back disenchanted working-class voters who have drifted to far-right protest parties."
While the leaders of Stand Up have not explicitly modeled their movement after Sanders' "political revolution" in the U.S. or Corbyn's "for the many, not the few" campaign in the U.K., the parallels are obvious in the rhetoric and political goals of the movement's supporters.
"The main problem for me is those in power have absolutely no feeling any more for what the people are going through," Mario, a supporter of Stand Up, declared in an interview on the movement's website. "That's why we want Stand Up, so that people like you and I get a voice, and that politics is done for the millions, not for billionaires."
Looking to spark a political revolution in the mold of Sen. Bernie Sanders' in the U.S. and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn's in the U.K., Sahra Wagenknecht and her husband Oskar Lafontaine--two leading figures of the German left-wing party Die Linke--officially launched the "Stand Up" movement on Tuesday with the goal of confronting Germany's "crisis of democracy," countering the rise of the nation's racist far-right, and offering an inspiring alternative.
"The globalization steered by corporations, the disintegration of the welfare state, an endless string of new wars--this not a force of nature. There are alternatives to it and we want to give people back the hope that politics can be changed."
--Sahra Wagenknecht
"Many people don't feel represented any more and are turning their backs on politics. This is more than just a feeling," Wagenknect said at a press conference on Tuesday, citing economic data showing that 40 percent of German citizens have less take-home pay today than they did two decades ago. "In such a country democracy is no longer functioning."
"This is about courage to overcome the neoliberal mainstream, about a social policy in the interest of the majority," Wagenknecht added in an interview with the website Nachdenkenseiten.de. "The globalization steered by corporations, the disintegration of the welfare state, an endless string of new wars--this not a force of nature. There are alternatives to it and we want to give people back the hope that politics can be changed."
The emergence of the Stand Up movement--which has also been translated as "Get Up" and "Rise Up"--comes just days after thousands of neo-Nazis marched and rioted in the German city of Chemnitz, just one of many signs that the nation's far-right is emboldened and increasingly dangerous.
Wagenknect argued that a left-wing populist movement like Stand Up is necessary to counter the pseudo-populism of the right, which seeks to exploit very real economic suffering and despair for racist aims.
"Anger that has been piling up has helped form a breeding ground for hate and violence. If we don't take counter measures this country will not be recognisable within five to 10 years," Wagenknect argued during the launch of Stand Up on Tuesday. "The climate is more raw than ever, the social divides are deeper. Had we needed another impulse then the events in Chemnitz show us that we urgently need a new political revolt."
"That's why we want Stand Up, so that people like you and I get a voice, and that politics is done for the millions, not for billionaires."
--Mario, Stand Up supporterAccording toThe Local, Stand Up's primary objective is to galvanize and inspire members of the "Die Linke party, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), and ecologist Greens--but also to win back disenchanted working-class voters who have drifted to far-right protest parties."
While the leaders of Stand Up have not explicitly modeled their movement after Sanders' "political revolution" in the U.S. or Corbyn's "for the many, not the few" campaign in the U.K., the parallels are obvious in the rhetoric and political goals of the movement's supporters.
"The main problem for me is those in power have absolutely no feeling any more for what the people are going through," Mario, a supporter of Stand Up, declared in an interview on the movement's website. "That's why we want Stand Up, so that people like you and I get a voice, and that politics is done for the millions, not for billionaires."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
LATEST NEWS
He 'Understood the Assignment': Support for Al Green Pours In After Disruption of Trump Speech
"Al Green stood up. Would like to see more people stand up," wrote Ezra Levin, the co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible.
Mar 05, 2025
Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas is earning praise online after delivering perhaps the most dramatic moment of U.S. President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
Green interrupted the speech, shaking his cane at Trump and shouting that the president had "no mandate to cut Medicaid." He was led out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms after being told to sit down by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), as Republicans cheered. Speaking to reporters after he was escorted out, Green said that he was protesting Trump's efforts to cut federal government programs, including Medicaid, according to The Hill.
"Al Green understood the assignment," wrote Sam Weinberg, the executive director of the progressive group Path to Progress, on Bluesky on Tuesday. Ezra Levin, the co-founder of the grassroots group Indivisible, similarly said: "Al Green stood up. Would like to see more people stand up."
"EVERY DEMOCRAT SHOULD BE EXACTLY LIKE THIS!!! RESPECT TO AL GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" posted the leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, on X.
Former Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) wrote "Al Green!" and added that all the Democrats in the room should have left with him.
The New York Times reported that Green's act was a show of protest not only against Trump, but also congressional Democratic Party leaders who had asked Democrats to attend the speech but not disrupt it.
During the address, other Democrats sat through the speech and raised signs with messages such as "Save Medicaid" and "Musk Steals." According to Reuters, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and others turned their backs as Trump spoke, revealing messages on the backs of their shirts like "No Kings live here," before exiting.
While threats to Medicaid were the central focus of Green's protests, Republicans' targeting of the program did not feature in Trump's speech—during which he boasted about gutting climate initiatives, ending the "tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies," and peddled the falsehood that Social Security benefits are being paid out out on a large scale to people who have been dead for years.
Last week, House Republicans were able to pass a budget resolution that tees up passing trillions of dollars in tax cuts, a move that will almost certainly be paid for by slashing social programs like Medicaid and nutrition assistance.
The resolution instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to "submit changes in laws within its jurisdiction to reduce the deficit by not less than" $880 billion over the next decade. That panel has jurisdiction over Medicaid, which the GOP has repeatedly targeted in public and private discussions, with one leaked document floating over $2 trillion in cuts to the program.
Republicans also rejected numerous Democratic amendments that would have prevented Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts in the upcoming budget reconciliation process as their resolution moved through committees.
Supreme Court Ruling on Foreign Aid Shows 'Trump Cannot Ignore the Law'
"To stop needless suffering and death, the government must now comply with the order issued three weeks ago to lift its unlawful termination of federal assistance."
Mar 05, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered at least a temporary blow to President Donald Trump on Wednesday by refusing to overrule a lower court order that said approximately $2 billion in U.S. foreign aid funding ordered frozen by the administration should be resumed.
The 5-4 ruling, issued by Chief Justice John Roberts, paves the way for organizations and programs worldwide working in conjunction or with grants from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to receive those funds already appropriated by Congress.
The legal team challenging the administration's move to block the funding celebrated the ruling.
“Today's ruling by the Supreme Court confirms that the administration cannot ignore the law," said Lauren Bateman, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead counsel in this case, said in response to the decision. "To stop needless suffering and death, the government must now comply with the order issued three weeks ago to lift its unlawful termination of federal assistance."
The center of the case that was before the high court stems from a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups and NGOs impacted by the funding freeze, who argued that results were "devastating" for programing that "improves—and, in many cases, literally saves—the lives of millions of people across the globe."
In the suit, as CNN reports, the groups argued the administration's freezing of funds "usurped the power of Congress to control government spending and violated a federal law that dictates how agencies make decisions."
On February 13, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, in a temporary restraining order, said the State Department and USAID must resume most of the funding while the case was under review, but the plaintiffs argued in a filing last week that little, if anything, had been done to comply with that order.
"The district court gave the government every opportunity to demonstrate what steps it was taking to release foreign-assistance funding, as the TRO required, and to explain any practical impediments it faced in pursuing compliance," the groups wrote in their filing. "But even by the time of the district court's February 25 hearing—nearly two weeks after the TRO had issued—government counsel could not identify a single action the government had taken in the twelve days since the TRO to release frozen funds."
Wednesday's ruling by the Supreme Court did not make any judgment on the overall merits of the case that remains under review by the lower District Court.
Working-Class Unity Key to Defeating Oligarchy, Says Sanders in Response to Trump SOTU
"We can win. We will win," said the senator. "Let's go forward together."
Mar 05, 2025
If working-class people in the United States were wondering why President Donald Trump had "very little to say about the REAL crises facing the working class of this country" in his State of the Union address, said U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders Tuesday night, they need look no further than the people Trump surrounded himself with at his inauguration in January.
"Standing right behind him were the three wealthiest men in the country," said the Vermont Independent senator, naming billionaire mogul and "special government employee" Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "And standing behind THEM were 13 other billionaires who Trump had nominated to head major government agencies. Many of these same billionaires—including Musk—were there tonight."
Despite Trump's repeated campaign promises to address the rising cost of living for working people, said Sanders, the State of the Union address offered the latest proof that "the Trump administration IS a government of the billionaire class, by the billionaire class, and for the billionaire class."
Watch Sanders' address in full:
LIVE: President Trump’s Congressional Address needs a response. Here’s mine. https://t.co/O9yN04isIw
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 5, 2025
Sanders amplified the message he has sent on his National Tour to Fight Oligarchy—which he is scheduled to continue this week with stops in Warren, Michigan on Saturday and Kenosha, Wisconsin on Friday.
The senator called on working people of all racial identities, religions, and sexual orientations to join together to fight Trump's agenda and the billionaires who would benefit from his tax cuts, slashes to essential public services like Medicaid and food assistance, and efforts to divide people by demonizing immigrants, transgender people, and people of color.
"Yes, the oligarchs ARE enormously powerful. They have endless amounts of money. They control our economy. They own much of the media. They have enormous influence over our political system," said Sanders. "But, from the bottom of my heart, I am convinced that they can be beaten."
"If we stand together and not let them divide us up by the color of our skin or where we were born or our religion or sexual orientation; if we bring our people together around an agenda that works for the many and not the few—there is nothing in the world that can stop us," he said.
In his address, Sanders remained laser-focused on issues that impact working people—raising the federal minimum wage of just $7.25 per hour to a living wage of $17 per hour, repealing the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling to end corporate influence over elections, and Trump's desire to pass a "big, beautiful" budget that would cut Medicaid by $880 billion, leaving up to 36 million Americans, including millions of children, without health insurance.
His response to the State of the Union address contrasted sharply with parts of the Democratic Party's official response given by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who spoke out against the "unprecedented giveaway" Trump wants to give "to his billionaire friends" but also signaled the party leadership's disinterest in focusing primarily on issues that impact working people when she spoke positively about former Republican President Ronald Reagan.
"After the spectacle that just took place in the Oval Office last week, Reagan must be rolling over in his grave," Slotkin said, referring to Trump and Vice President JD Vance's attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "As a Cold War kid, I'm thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s."
Historian Moshik Temkin wondered why the Democratic Party chose to hold up Reagan as a positive example of a president—considering his deregulatory, anti-taxation policies and promotion of so-called "trickle-down economics" that helped pave the way for rising economic inequality and the decimation of the middle class—instead of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who introduced Social Security, reformed the financial system, and provided relief to people who were suffering due to the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression.
"Who was this for?" asked historian Michael Brenes of Slotkin's address. "You don't rebuild the New Deal coalition with Cold War nostalgia and deference to Ronald Reagan. A better message: national security begins with economic security."
In contrast, Sanders' response, said former journalist and author Paul Handley, "is how you respond to Trump and define him for the American people."
Sanders ended his address by acknowledging the challenge of fighting against a political system increasingly controlled by billionaires, but warned, "despair is not an option."
"Giving up is not acceptable," said Sanders. "And none of us have the privilege of hiding under the covers. The stakes are just too high. Let us never forget. Real change only occurs when ordinary people stand up against oppression and injustice—and fight back."
"We can win. We will win," he concluded. "Let's go forward together."
Most Popular
We cover the issues the corporate media never will.
Please support our journalism.