Conflict in Ukraine - BSW and most of AfD skip Selenskyj address - severe criticism from other parties.
The large majority of the AfD parliamentary faction and the left-wing alliance led by Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) skipped out on the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Bundestag on Tuesday. The management of the AfD parliamentary group had suggested this earlier. Only four of the 77 AfD MPs showed up to attend Zelensky's address. None of the ten BSW MPs made an appearance. Representatives from other parties spoke out against this strongly.
"We refuse to listen to someone masquerading as a speaker," said Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the leaders of the AfD parliamentary group. "The federal government should not provide a platform for him to plead for rebuilding. Citizens are already paying more than enough for military aid, EU aid, and social benefits for Ukrainians." The Ukraine needs a peace-seeking president, according to the BSW. The BSW added that "President Zelensky unfortunately currently contributes to creating a dangerous escalation and takes into consideration the risk of an atomic conflict with devastating consequences for all of Europe."
SPD: Never seen such disrespect
There was fierce criticism from other parties. SPD deputy group leader Dirk Wiese expressed his thoughts to the "Rheinische Post": "Probably the Kremlin ordered the absence. I have rarely witnessed such disrespect." The first parliamentary manager of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei (CDU), said that "AfD and BSW once again show their disdain for the victims of the Russian attack war." The Left's Dietmar Bartsch rebuked his former group colleague Wagenknecht, labeling the behavior "scandalous": "Regardless of whether one supports Zelensky or weapons deliveries, in a democracy we should at least listen, and not just try to capture attention."
The four AfD MPs Norbert Kleinwächter, Joachim Wundrak, Albrecht Glaser, and Rainer Kraft were the sole AfD representatives in the plenary hall, and they partially applauded. "It's only natural for us to listen to other state leaders when they're here on a state visit, even if we might not agree with their views," Kleinwächter told the DPA. "The applause was muted, with no signs of enthusiasm."
