Jürgen Todenhöfer: Remove Leaders Who Created War and Misery for Millions of Refugees
Jürgen Todenhöfer, former CDU Bundestag member (1972-1990), has issued a damning “Open Letter to the War Politicians of the World.” He states, “Through decades of a policy of war and exploitation, you have pushed millions of people in the Middle East and Africa into misery. Because of you, refugees have to flee all over the world.”
The full letter is translated below.
Todenhöfer issued this the day after his Aug. 25 appearance on the popular “Maischberger” TV talkshow where he stated straightforwardly that the chaos in the region “was a part of the strategy of the U.S. which they started with their bombing of Afghanistan, against Iraq, Libya … and the results couldn’t be worse.”
He said on TV, “We know in the meantime that it is part of an American strategy of divide and rule”: Iraq was consciously divided up, Syria falls apart into several states. He then reported on former U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency head Gen. Michael Flynn’s statement that, “it was a willful decision.”
The broadcast itself then became chaotic, after studio guest, former ARD-TV Middle East expert Ulrich Kienzle, protested, “That is a conspiracy theory, … the Americans couldn’t be so dumb.” Kienzle seems oblivious to the public scandal around Benghazi and Hillary Clinton, and her role in fulfilling President Obama’s escalation of that war policy.
Todenhöfer’s Open Letter charged that leaders don’t change their policies and “only deal with the symptoms. And because of that the security situation gets more dangerous and chaotic by the day. More and more wars, waves of terror and refugee crises will determine the future of our planet.”
He called for bringing the “war politicians” before the International Criminal Court, “and each of your political followers should in fact take care of at least 100 refugee families.” He called for a mass movement against these policies: “As once Gandhi did—in non-violence, in civil disobedience. We should create new movements and parties. Movements for justice and humanity.”
RT Deutsch has covered his Open Letter. His Facebook page is getting a massive response.
As tensions build over the expected 800,000 refugees coming into Germany this year, and with extremists and neo-Nazi agents provocateurs trying to provoke violence, Todenhöfer has called for decisive action against extremists.
Toedenhöfer’s letter translated into English, a companion message, and a biographical sketch, as posted on the Coop News’ Coop Anti-War Berlin, follow.
Open Letter to the War Politicians of the World
by Jürgen Todenhöfer, German journalist, former media manager and politician
“Through decades of a policy of war and exploitation you have pushed millions people in the Middle East and Africa into misery. Because of your policies refugees have to flee all over the world. One out every three refugees in Germany comes from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. From Africa comes one out of five refugees.
“Your wars are also the cause of global terrorism. Instead [of] some 100 international terrorists like 15 years ago, we now are faced with more than 100,000 terrorists. Your cynical ruthlessness now strikes back at us like a boomerang.
“As usual, you do not even consider, to really change your policy. You cure only the symptoms. The security situation gets more dangerous and chaotic by the day. More and more wars, waves of terror and refugee crises will determine the future of our planet.
“Even in Europe, the war will one day knock again at Europe’s door. Any businessman that would act like you would be fired or be in prison by now. You are total failures.
“The peoples of the Middle East and Africa, whose countries you have destroyed and plundered her and the people of Europe, who now accommodate the countless desperate refugees have to pay a high price for your policies. But [you] wash your hands of responsibility. You should stand trial in front of the International Criminal Court. And each of your political followers should actually take care of at least 100 refugee families.
“Basically, the people of the world should raise and resist you as the warmongers and exploiters. As once Gandhi did it — in nonviolence, in ‘civil disobedience’. We should create new movements and parties. Movements for justice and humanity. Make wars in other countries just as punishable as murder and manslaughter [in] one’s own country. And you who are responsible for war and exploitation, you should go to hell forever. It is enough! Get lost! The world would be much nicer without you. ”
–Jürgen Todenhöfer”
“Dear friends, I know you should never write letters in anger. But life is way too short to always beat about the bush. Is your anger not so great that you want to cry about so much irresponsibility? About the infinite suffering that has been caused by these politicians? About the millions of dead people? Did the warmongering politicians really believe they could go on for decades with impunity beating up other peoples [and] making a killing at the same time? We should no longer accept this! In the name of humanity, I call upon [you] to: Defend yourselves! “Yours JT”
Jürgen Todenhöfer is a German journalist, former media manager and politician. From 1972 to 1990 he was a member of parliament for the Christian Democrats (CDU). He was one of Germany’s most arduous supporters of the U.S.-sponsored Mujahideen and their guerrilla war against the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. Several times he traveled to combat zones with Afghan Mujahideen groups. From 1987 to 2008 he served on the board of the media group Burda. After 2001 Todenhöfer became an outspoken critic of the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has published several books about visits he made to war zones. In recent years he did two interviews with Syria’s President Assad and in 2015 he was the first German journalist to visit the “Islamic State.”
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