Overview
- Ilse Aigner delivered a Festrede at Munich’s Ludwig‑Maximilians‑Universität on Monday in which she warned that repeated crises and rising radicalization endanger German democracy.
- She singled out the AfD as "in parts right‑wing extremist" and said its recent federal congress timed with a 1926 Nazi anniversary was "no coincidence," drawing strong applause from the audience.
- Aigner called social media a "brandaccelerator," argued algorithms reward radical content, and urged stricter regulation and youth protections to curb online radicalization.
- She urged democratic forces to rebuild trust, avoid polarizing culture‑war tactics, make the country "wehrhaft" against internal and external attacks, and press for reforms to restore economic credibility.
- Many outlets treated the speech as an implicit audition for Bundespräsidentin, with Markus Söder having previously floated her name and coalition talks over a candidate expected in the autumn.