Before the start of the International Crafts Fair (IHM) in Munich, crafts president Jörg Dittrich warned his industry to follow the farmers’ protests as a model, despite the discontent of many companies. Economic policy should not take place on the street, but in parliaments and in dialogue between politicians and associations, said the President of the Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH) to the “Augsburger Allgemeine”.
“There is a lot of pressure from different parts of the country to follow the example of the farmers,” said Dittrich. “Personally, I think this is the wrong approach.” Many protests started peacefully, but then degenerated.
At the same time, Dittrich warned of a polarization of society. “The many angry maximum demands are making us more and more unable to compromise and are destroying the community, regardless of whether it is about limiting uncontrolled immigration or the competitive energy supply of the future,” warned the craft president. “Secondly, I want to make it clear that we in the trades are among those affected when people become frightened by a discussion about the level of cosmopolitanism.”
“In our industry we have had a high proportion of employees with a migrant background for years,” said Dittrich. “If forces come to power that use the term remigration to frighten people who have been anchored here for a long time, then that will be a catastrophe for Germany’s reputation in the world and therefore for Germany as a business location and ultimately also massively damages craft businesses. “
