Parliament - Measures taken against employees of AfD member of parliament
A German AfD state legislator employs an employee who was sentenced for a violent antisemitic crime. The President of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament announced house arrest measures against the employee, as a spokesperson confirmed in Düsseldorf in response to an inquiry on Thursday. The employee of the AfD legislator is now only allowed to enter selected areas of the State Parliament building. A personnel check must take place before each entry.
According to a judgment of the Heidelberg District Court, the man assaulted a student with Jewish roots and injured him. The victim was insulted as a "Jew-sow" and "filthy Jew" during the attack. The "Cologne City Anzeiger" reported on the sentencing.
The District Court sentenced the man to eight months' probation for grievous bodily harm and defamation, as a court spokeswoman confirmed to dpa on Thursday. The judgment is not yet legally binding. The Heidelberg Regional Court still needs to decide on the appeal.
"We are experiencing more and more that enemies of the constitution are stirring up sentiment against democracy: in social media, in schools, and also in parliaments. And here, in the heart of democracy, they are particularly dangerous," said Landtag President Andreas Kuper.
"We are in agreement on the goal that extremists should not belong in parliaments. We have already adapted the regulations in the past year and will examine further measures, without restricting the free mandate," Kuper added. Currently, the legal aspects of further increasing security in the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament are being assessed.
The North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament had already changed the legislators' and factions' law in 2022. Employees of legislators and factions must present a leadership certificate to the parliamentary administration since then. If the leadership certificate contains an entry for a deliberate criminal offense, the President can restrict or deny access to his facilities, including buildings and IT systems.
- The President of North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament expressed concerns about extremism, stating that enemies of the constitution are stirring up sentiment against democracy, even in parliaments.
- In response to the AfD state legislator employing an individual with a violent antisemitic crime conviction, the Parliament has implemented stricter measures, requiring a personnel check and area restrictions for the employee.
- The local court in Düsseldorf confirmed that the individual was sentenced to eight months' probation for grievous bodily harm and defamation, following an attack on a student with Jewish roots, who was insulted with antisemitic slurs.
- The AfD incident in North Rhine-Westphalia highlights the need for continued vigilance against extremism in parliaments, as the President and the parliamentary administration are assessing legal aspects to further enhance security measures.
- The North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament has already implemented stricter regulations, requiring legislators and factions' employees to present a leadership certificate, which bars access to parliamentary facilities if there's an entry for deliberate criminal offenses.
