TFP Student Action - European Crusade for the Family
In order to inaugurate the launching of TFP Student Action - Europe, nearly 30 volunteers from around the continent gathered together to launch the first ever TFP “Caravan” in Germany. The first stops of this Caravan – in which TFP members travel from city to city campaigning – were the cities of Bonn and Cologne.
To the surprise of many, the focus of the campaign was a promotion of a manifesto against gender theory. In order to gather attention to the issue, the TFP utilised its striking symbols, unique slogans and a pipe-and-drum band.
Curiously, though, to much of the public, the very presence of the TFP was more shocking than the issue itself. Those present on the campaign recount numerous examples of people passing by who simply stopped and watched the campaign (even for long periods of time) before going about their business.
Despite the myth that Western Europeans are totally enamoured with the sexual revolution, the campaign participants noted that the vast majority of the responses were not negative. According to some estimates, nearly one third of those who received the fliers gave an openly positive response.
Still, the campaign did not go on without opposition. After several hours of distributing fliers on the streets, a small group of liberal students formed a counter-demonstration. Unsurprisingly, rather than employing arguments, they simply mocked the campaign and engaged in foolish behaviour. Naturally, the public was not convinced by this, and at least one person went up to tell them that their protest was terrible.
In Cologne, rather than staying in one square and handing out the leaflets, the group held a march through the streets, led by a large banner which read “European Crusade for the Family” in three languages (German, English and Dutch, respectively). After an hour of moving through the streets, the campaign ended in front of the famous Cologne Cathedral – one of Germany's most popular tourist destinations. Although the public there was primarily young people, they were quite receptive to the flier.
According to the campaign's organisers, everything has gone exceedingly well so far with hundreds of fliers distributed and countless repercussions. To the general participants, this early success marks a great start for what is looking to be an exciting series of campaigns.