Germany in the dark

Have you heard of Dieter Kroll? He's Dresden's chief of police, and on Sunday he laid down the law. For 24 hours, he outlawed all rallies in his city, citing "the immediate danger to life and limb of a large number of people." According to information from federal and state police, attackers were planning to mingle with the PEGIDA demonstrators in the streets of Dresden on Monday and murder a member of the protest organizing team.

Are we now safe?

It's hard to believe: Lutz Bachmann, the chief organizer of the PEGIDA marches, a man with a criminal record, a possible victim of Islamist terrorists? After weeks in which his so-called patriots - along with the help of what Bachmann has called the "lying media" - have managed to whip up hatred toward foreigners and cast a shadow on Germany?

This man is not worthy of becoming a martyr. And yet, astute observers say the terror threat is growing. We don't want to imagine what could have happened, had there been an attack.

But are we now safer? What about the next demonstrations in Dresden, in Leipzig, or elsewhere? Will Carnival floats be considered the next threat? Wouldn't it have been better to prohibit the latest edition of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, or last week's solidarity march in Paris - for safety's sake?

Not likely. Even if it's difficult, we must endure the threat of terrorism. The fact that the right to assembly and demonstration should be suspended - even if it is only for one day - amounts to an admission of failure. The police chief's decision would only have withstood judicial review if there had been concrete evidence. But nobody in Dresden even made the effort to challenge it. And why should they - it's not in PEGIDA's interest.

Pied Piper of Saxony

After all, next time there will be even more people lured out onto the streets by the Pied Piper of Saxony. "Islamization has already begun," blustered Alexander Gauland, of the euroskeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, who leads the self-proclaimed patriots in the German parliament. Also a Pied Piper, Gauland.

Authorities in Saxony have prevented a disaster - possibly. However, amid the deafening and ominous chatter about potential attackers, Salafists, Islamists, terrorist cells and other threats, Germany became a bit darker this weekend. The fact that there is no-one able to shine a light on the issues, not even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, says a lot about democracy in Germany 70 years after the end of the very dark time. Be there an Islamist threat or not.

"When it comes to mischief, it's not just those who are guilty who are responsible, but also those who do nothing to prevent it," wrote author and Dresden native Erich Kästner. And also: "The past must speak, and we must listen. Until that happens, we and it will not rest."

And that's how it is.