Former CDU senator listens to AfD speakers at campaign kickoff
Contact with Radical Right Has Been Pursued by Former Berlin CDU Finance Senator Kurth for Some Time.
The former Berlin CDU Finance Senator Peter Kurth has been maintaining contacts with the radical right for some time. At an event in Werder (Havel) on a Friday, Kurth attended an AfD event as a guest. He listened to the speeches of AfD Landeschef René Springer and Spitzenkandidat Hans-Christoph Berndt and even held an AfD campaign flag.
The AfD in Brandenburg is considered a suspected right-wing extremist case by the state's Constitutional Protection Agency. The "Tagesspiegel" also reported on Kurth's visit. The ex-senator stated that he is not and never has been a member of the AfD: "I was, am, and will be no member of the AfD," Kurth told the German Press Agency. "I have closed the chapter on my political career. I have had no relevant political functions for many years."
Regarding criticism of his contacts with right-wing circles, Kurth stated: "I will not allow myself as a private person to be prevented from talking to whom I want. I know where I draw the line." AfD Landeschef Springer expressed regret that Kurth did not want to join the AfD but respected his decision.
Personal Friendships with AfD Members
In the summer of the previous year, a meeting took place in Kurth's apartment with radical right-wing individuals. AfD Europaabgeordnete Maximilian Krah presented his book "Politik von rechts" at this meeting. Martin Sellner, a right-wing activist, and the party and faction leader of the Berlin AfD, Kristin Brinker, were also present. Kurth wrote to "Spiegel" in January that he did not know all the participants but is "personally acquainted with several AfD members."
Kurth stated that he left the CDU the previous year and was asked by CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann to remain a member of the CDU Märkisch-Oderland in Brandenburg. There, he has a secondary residence. Kurth received confirmation of the transferred membership and paid the fee. However, he was never accepted as a member by the local executive committee. "The transfer was not valid, as it was discovered that he had resigned from the CDU in Berlin," said Kristy Augustin, the executive committee chair. "There is also no new membership application."
Kurth served as Berlin Finance Senator from 1999 to 2001 and was a member of the Berlin House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006. In 2009, he failed in his bid to become the CDU candidate for Mayor of Cologne. Since 2008, he led the waste management industry association BDE, but the association distanced itself from Kurth after the contacts with right-wing extremists came to light.
- Maximilian Krah, an AfD Europaabgeordnete, presented his book "Politik von rechts" at a summer meeting in Peter Kurth's apartment, which was also attended by right-wing activist Martin Sellner and Berlin AfD party and faction leader Kristin Brinker.
- Despite his past contacts with radical right-wing individuals and attending an AfD event in Werder (Havel), former Berlin CDU Finance Senator Kurth emphasized that he is not and never has been a member of the AfD.
- The AfD in Brandenburg, which is under suspicion of right-wing extremism by the state's Constitutional Protection Agency, has faced criticism for its associations with individuals like Kurth, who has personal friendships with several AfD members.
