Stuttgart, Germany. January 31, 2025. By S.G. Kazolias

German Lawmakers held a riotous debate over immigration on January 31 which was more reminiscent of parliamentary mayhem in Paris or Rome rather than the well-disciplined Bundestag.  Tempers are running high in Germany. The country is deeply divided.

Germany goes to the polls on February 23, at the height of the Carnival: the Catholic festival of partying, heavy drinking and debauchery. Usually, the clowns and monsters are reserved for the parades and beer halls. But the election campaign at the end of January brought the clown world to the fore where lawmakers were yelling, shouting, huffing and puffing, over immigration and whether or not it is ‘Catholic‘ to accept the votes of the ‘extreme right.’