Satirical programmes have repeatedly shown the increasing confidence of far-right politicians as well the quandary that Germany now finds herself in. Should the German Supreme Court ban the right-wing AfD party? Or is it too late for this already? Is our democracy able to weather the challenges from its extreme fringes? Watching satirical sketches on this topic can be a delight as well as upsetting.
This sketch by the team from Die Anstalt illustrates the apparent weakness of the German system. Democracy (played by Max Uthoff) wants to avoid conflict at any cost, is forever dithering, and ultimately powerless in face of the increasingly powerful and influential AfD politician Maximilian Krah (Claus von Wagner). Krah is a real person and a prominent AfD politician who has been an member of the EU parliament since 2019. Claus von Wagner as Krah is smug and cocky, and utterly convinced he’s every woman’s wet dream. Von Wagner’s performance is superb as well as unsettling, because -- although Krah is clearly insufferable -- he enjoys considerable success and support.
In times like these, programmes like Die Anstalt inform at least as much as they entertain. The above-mentioned sketch was broadcast in October 2023. Towards the end of the sketch, Claus von Wanger as Maximilan Krah already mentions the AfD’s plans for “remigration”. The news about the secret meeting in Potsdam where members of the AfD and others discussed “remigration” plans in earnest, only broke in January this year. Further proof that the team of Die Anstalt not only draw attention to important subjects, but also that they do so earlier than others. The many demonstrations in cities and towns all over Germany recently were a direct result of the scandal surrounding the secret meeting in Potsdam.
The Anstalt (“the institution” or “psychiatric clinic”) is produced in Munich and broadcast nationwide. The programme started out as Neues aus der Anstalt in 2007 and quickly became quite successful with more than 3,5 million people watching. The slight name change occurred in 2014 when Max Uthoff and Claus von Wagner took over as hosts of the show. They (and their co-writer Dietrich Krauß) are now in their tenth year and have become known for their meticulous research, hard hitting, witty dialogues and wonderful parodies. Unlike other satirists, they generally don’t appear as themselves to comment or poke fun at something or somebody. Instead, they slip into various roles and use dialogue and sketches to make a point. In contrast to most other political cabaret programmes, they manage to attract many younger viewers.
Since satirical programmes often reach large audiences, they are not necessarily popular with politicians in power. The First Minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, recently stated publicly that state-owned TV stations ought to save money, and one possibility would be to cut satirical programmes. Apparently, some in his party even think one of the state channels, the ZDF, should be scrapped altogether. (The ZDF broadcasts various satirical programmes, including the Anstalt and the heute-show.)