El País and the German 'neo-Nazi': a label that doesn't add up

El País's tweet about AfD: neo-Nancy or just a label?

El País has done it again. In a tweet, the Spanish daily claims that if AfD won an absolute majority, it would be the first neo-Nancy government in Germany since Adolf Hitler. The promise to close borders, deport migrants and restrict social policies for foreigners is the argument. But the reaction in economic and political circles has not been alarm — it has been irony.

The hypocrisy of subsidies

The most repeated criticism is not about the content, but about the outlet. Critics point out that El País, a newspaper with tens of thousands of subscriptions from public institutions and government grants, is hardly a model of independence. The paradox: a media outlet that lives on public money accuses a party of wanting to cut social spending for foreigners. If those subsidies were removed, the pamphlet would not last four months, the argument goes.

The trivialization of the term

The 'neo-Nancy' label has been trivialized. It is applied to anything that does not fit the official narrative. Defending Ceuta, complaining about taxes or not sympathizing with the PSOE (Spain's Socialist Party) is now 'Nancy'. This semantic inflation undermines the term's credibility. In the debate, it is pointed out that Spain has had communist governments at local and national level for decades without anyone batting an eye. The double standard is obvious.

If AfD came to power, its policies would have a direct impact on the German labor market, which depends on foreign workers. But the debate has focused on the label, not the numbers. Meanwhile, the newspaper making the accusation receives millions in public aid. The math doesn't add up: a subsidized outlet criticizing those who want to cut subsidies.