this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2025
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Germany’s association of family-owned companies has lifted its ban on contacts with AfD lawmakers, signalling the far-right party’s growing acceptability in parts of the business community as it climbs in the polls.

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[–] copacetic@discuss.tchncs.de 56 points 4 days ago

More interesting imho is that Deutsche Bank cancelled them for it:

On Monday, Deutsche Bank cancelled its existing rental agreement with the Family Business Association following the news of the AfD being present at events being organised in their facilities, as reported by several news outlets including the Handelsblatt.

[–] jagermo@feddit.org 55 points 4 days ago (2 children)

fun fact: That assosicatin contains mostly big enterprises, not mom-and-pop stores.

[–] copacetic@discuss.tchncs.de 37 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Yes, one has to think of family-owned businesses like Walmart, Ford, Koch Industries, etc.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

TIL about Ford. I mean, I knew about Henry, but not that they're still around being rich.

[–] jagermo@feddit.org 3 points 3 days ago

As it was funded in 1949, it would probably be interesting on what its members have been up to, say, 5 to 15 years before.

[–] Senseless@feddit.org 10 points 4 days ago

more like a not so fun fact.

[–] TheJesusaurus@sh.itjust.works 11 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Uhhhh.... What? What's going on over there Germany

[–] Ooops@feddit.org 27 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

What's going on is the usual framing bordering on lies in the media trying hard to normalise the far-right (totally not connected who owns the media of course *wink wink*)...

What they call "family-business" here maybe -technically correct- owned by private families. But we are actually talking about the same multi-billion € companies that already got rich through the nazis back then.

It's like writing "up-and-coming tech start-ups praise Trump policies" but talking about Tesla and Meta.

So in reality it's "ultra-rich think they can benefit from fascists as they always do". But that headline would not fit the agenda.

Fun fact: Because of that decision Deutsche Bank -as if you could think of people with less morals than those- cancelled several business agreements with them. "You are too evil for Deutsche Bank to work with you" is some special kind of statement.

Edit: Rossmann (drug-store chain, 12 billion rev/year - notably not one of those founded in the 1800s and already befitting from a nazi regime once but just 50 years ago) just cancelled their membership. Let's hope it's the first of many...

Edit2: We can add Vorwerk and Melitta to the list...

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

To be fair to the media here: they didn't invent the name, the association itself is called "Verband der Familienunternehmen". So they're the ones doing the framing. However, Reuters COULD translate it with capital initials, "Association of Family-Owned Businesses" or something, to show that it's a name.

[–] Ooops@feddit.org 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

That would be minimum for a short note.

Which this isn't, so they could do this thing called ... you know ... journalism.

This outdated stuff where they actually inform people about details like that association being a neo-liberal lobbyism organisation representing about 0.2% of German family businesses. With such "family businesses" as Miele, Dr.Oetker or Henkel (~5, 4 and 21 billion revenue/year).

Edit: Dr. Oetker is officially denying their membership...

[–] windowsphoneguy@feddit.org 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Conservatives showing their true self

[–] SapphireSphinx@feddit.org 11 points 4 days ago

~~Conservatives~~ Capitalists showing their true self

FTFY

With the Nazis in Power there will be even more ways to dis-empower the working force. Just like the last time.

[–] Matombo@feddit.org 6 points 4 days ago

Faschism is back and big companies (that assosication has nothing to do with small buissnesses it's about the very big cooperations, they just use that name to manipulate) are all in again, like back in 1933.

Not much, just trying to repeat history before the 100th anniversary...