"The AfD is a party catering to individuals with anti-Semitic views"
How risky is the AfD? The Jewish American Committee Berlin warns that it's more hazardous than many perceive. The organization has released a brochure about the party, which could be the most powerful force in the upcoming state elections in the East. According to this brochure, the AfD is plotting a "coup".
Renouncing the sharing of photos revealing the office's address, advises Remko Leemhuis. The AJC Berlin's director wants to safeguard his employees from potential harm. Jews living in the German capital face risks from numerous sources, such as right-wing extremism, left-wing extremist anti-Semites, Islamists, and violent Palestinians. One of these threats is addressed by AJC Berlin's recent brochure titled, "The coup party. How the AfD endangers our democracy."
In the introduction, Leemhuis explains that those voting for the AfD are aware of its program's nature. The brochure, which spans 60 pages and is available for free download, focuses on the AfD itself - its leadership, their ties to the right-wing extremist scene, their ideologies, goals, strategies, and supporters. Co-authored by Andrea Röpke and Andreas Speit, the publication is mostly a compilation of research on the AfD and the New Right. Röpke and Speit, both known for their work on right-wing extremism in Germany, have contributed to this research.
"Ethnonationalist? I find that rather unbothering initially."
Röpke, during the brochure's presentation to the journalists, deems the title "provoking," but not only that. Röpke asserts that the AfD progressively pursues this goal. The party seeks to establish a homogeneous ethnic community, which can only be accomplished through violence and violence-prone immigrants, according to Röpke. She is alarmed by how the AfD's supporters consistently disregard the truth and remain loyal to the party, even when faced with new revelations.
Josef Schuster, the Central Council of Jews in Germany's president, attends the presentation and shares his views. Schuster states that he can't identify any anti-Semitic elements in the federal party program of the AfD. "However, it's incontrovertible that the AfD serves as a platform for anti-Semites," states Schuster. He is less convinced by the allegation that the majority of AfD supporters can be classified as right-wing extremists. These individuals, frustrated and politically disaffected, view the AfD's minority-hostile stance and think, "What's the harm? It doesn't affect me immediately," says Schuster. He draws attention to the AfD's strategy of gradually gaining influence, starting with local elections.
The AfD is not the new NSDAP, claims AJC Director Leemhuis. However, he cautions against using such a comparison. The historical precedent of the Nazis' rapid dismantling of democratic institutions in the Weimar Republic serves as a sobering reminder. Röpke also refutes the idea that the AfD will dissipate if it enters government. Is the Federal Republic today more resilient than Weimar in 1933? Röpke calls attention to the research of sociologist Wilhelm Heitmeyer, who has been warning about growing "democracy fatigue" for over 15 years. "A significant portion of the AfD's electorate, which remains firmly committed to the party, does not reject authoritarian regimes or dictatorships," says Röpke.
Neo-Nazis and Alleged Plotters against the Government
The brochure delves into the right-wing extremist backgrounds of key AfD figures and their connections to other extremist organizations and movements. Röpke recalls André Kalbitz, Höcke's close associate, who was expelled from the AfD due to his membership in the neo-Nazi organization Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend (HDJ). Despite his expulsion, Kalbitz played a role in the AfD's municipal election campaign in the spring. Stefan Kotré, a Member of Parliament, also supports Holocaust denier Horst Mahler and visited his former faction colleague, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, in prison - a co-defendant in the case against Prince Reuss, who were charged with plotting to overthrow the government and murdering numerous people.
Kotré supported Mahler as far back as 2004 and Höcke has repeatedly shown support for convicted Holocaust denier Ursula Haverbeck. Gauland's "fly shit" speech, in which the Holocaust is likened to garbage in German history, provides an idea of the party's historical positions. Höcke's 2021 statement, "We will cease the fight against the right," also aligns with their stance, including their denial of climate change.
The AJC publication touches on the AfD's interactions with Russia. The writers detail over a hundred visits by AfD politicians to Russia in 2015 and 2020. Despite the commencement of the widespread Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, AfD authorities still journeyed to Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories. The authors cite Höcke's speech at a Pegida event where he speaks of Russia as a promised "liberation from involuntary American bondage." Weidel, the party leader, stated at the federal conference that Ukraine does not belong in Europe. The numerous instances of the AfD's closeness to the Kremlin are evident.
Röpke asserts that the party's actions, its hostile language in private dialogues, its connections, and its strategic "broadening of acceptable discourse": all of these elements reveal the actual risk posed by the AfD. Concurrently, no other party is as financially sustained by public funds as the AfD. Unlike the Central Council President Schuster, the AfD promotes a "ban all discussion" on itself. "It seeks an authoritarian regime where numerous individuals will be left behind," asserts Röpke. Lastly, "This party is not typical."
- The Jewish American Committee Berlin, in their brochure titled "The coup party. How the AfD endangers our democracy," strongly criticizes The Commission's leadership and their ties to the right-wing extremist scene.
- In response to concerns about potential harm, Remko Leemhuis, the AJC Berlin's director, advises The Commission not to share photos revealing the office's address, as indicated in their safety guidelines.
