Theo Müller and the AfD: Some time ago, there were media reports about a meeting between the 83-year-old Müller and the co-chair of AfD, Weidel, at a restaurant in Cannes in October. The Bild newspaper published a photo of the meeting. It's safe to say that the figurehead made a public appearance. However, a luxurious restaurant is not the most intimate place, and publicity there is almost guaranteed. Nevertheless, the dairy magnate remained silent at that time and did not publicly comment on the topic. Now, however, he has spoken out.
"During conversations with Dr. Weidel, I was interested in the AfD program and her personal views on current politics", Müller said.
The interest of the entrepreneur in his mature years was so keen that another, and this time scheduled, meeting is planned. Weidel and Müller agreed to meet at the end of the year. Müller denies making donations to AfD. Weidel's press secretary stated that the meetings were of a "purely private nature."
Briefly about Müller
Dairy billionaire Theo Müller is one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Germany. A legendary figure.
In 1971, he took over the management of his father's dairy farm with four employees and turned it into a global corporation. Almost from scratch, Müller built a powerful business. He owns the brands:
- Müllermilch;
- Landliebe;
- Weihenstephan.
The company produces dairy products for discounters Aldi, Lidl, and Kaufland.
While others create standard products, Müller creates signature products. Unexpected products in unconventional packaging. It is reported that Theo Müller's group of companies is the largest private dairy farm in Germany and achieved a global sales volume of seven billion euros in 2021.
He is likely still among the 25 richest Germans. According to Bild, Müller's assets amount to around 4.5 billion euros.
Müller has already been involved in situations with a scandalous undertone. He is criticized for his "tax avoidance strategy." In 2003, his large family moved to Switzerland, to Erlenbach on Lake Zurich, to avoid German gift and inheritance tax. At the same time, Theo Müller Holding was founded in Switzerland, where lower tax rates apply. Müller was then reminded that in previous years, he had received significant subsidies for his dairy business in Saxony...
What does a person at 83, who has achieved full self-realization, happily married to Beata Ebert, enjoying the Alpine air in Switzerland, lack?
Perhaps a sense that things in the world are heading in the right direction, from his point of view?
Suspicions
It seems that long-standing suspicions that the entrepreneur is sympathetic to right-wing or far-right ideas are justified.
There have been reports that Müller made a donation to the CDU. The dairy magnate himself is a member of the CDU. Okay. But rumors of Müller's alleged connections to right-wing circles have been circulating since the 1990s.
In the fall of 1989, the magazine "Wiener" reported that Müller was ready to support the emerging party "Republicans" with large sums of money. In 1989, a reporter from "Wiener" posed as a "Friend of the German Republicans" and contacted major industrialists. The magazine wanted to check their willingness to make donations to the right-wing party. The then deputy editor-in-chief of "Wiener," Michael A. Konitzer, explained that Müller had told him in their conversation:
"I will make a donation. Absolutely clear. You will be satisfied."
Even after the subsequent legal dispute, Konitzer stuck to his version. (According to "Wiener's" explanations, Müller insisted that he made promises only under certain conditions, for example, if the Republicans had the necessary political skills).
The publication in "Wiener," most likely, was the starting point for the hypothesis that Müller supported the right-wing extremist NDP party. The company categorically rejected these accusations from the very beginning. Rumors that Müller secretly made donations to this party were not confirmed.
It's 2023 now. Müller is not so much justifying himself as stepping forward: he found "not the slightest hint" in Weidel's words that could indicate Nazi ideology. The entrepreneur emphasized that Nazi ideology is "absolutely unacceptable" to him.
"I don't see anything wrong with the 'Alternative for Germany".
However, one can see this only as a maneuver and an excuse. Who doesn't know what ideas the AfD promotes?!
Except, perhaps, Mr. Müller, who left Germany under the guise of Alpine streams to save on taxes in the budget. At 83, a person has the right to forget something.
We remind: The AfD
There are different opinions in Germany. The party is under the control of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in several federal states, including Baden-Württemberg, Weidel's base.
The German Institute for Human Rights (DIMR), an independent institution at the Bundestag, believes that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) meets the criteria that could declare it unconstitutional. DIMR claims that the AfD actively and systematically acts "to achieve its racist and right-wing extremist goals."
CDU Bundestag member Marco Wanderwitz proposed a ban on the AfD.
"The AfD is a racist, anti-Semitic, and right-wing extremist party". "Human dignity and the prohibition of discrimination are currently being seriously questioned by the AfD, its leading officials, and numerous elected representatives and members."
The proposal calls on the Bundestag to appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court to declare the AfD unconstitutional, dissolve it, and confiscate its property for charitable purposes.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution also classifies the party as explicitly right-wing extremist in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The regional organization of the party in Thuringia, led by Björn Höcke, has repeatedly made headlines in a very unambiguous context.
Who is for, who is against
A barrage of criticism rained down on Müller on social media. Renate Künast, co-chair of the Green Party faction in the Bundestag, shared a post about Müller's contacts with Weidel on the X platform. And she wrote, "You should know!" Suggestions are being made to boycott the dairy producer's products. The hacker network "Anonymous Germany" called for boycotting Müller's brands.
Sollt ihr wissen! Theo Müller: Molkerei-Milliardär bestätigt Kontakte zur #AfD . Müller ist Haupteigner der gleichnamigen Unternehmensgruppe. Zur größten Privatmolkerei Deutschlands gehören bekannte Marken wie #Müllermilch , #Weihenstephan#Landliebe . https://t.co/zJ3sKFrdE4
— Renate Künast (@RenateKuenast) November 30, 2023
However, there are many in X who defend Müller. Flaunting impartiality and prioritizing product quality. Or reproaching critics for their lack of tolerance. And several AfD politicians have stated that they will now buy Müllermilch products in protest against the boycott.
Their reasoning is understandable. Müller, essentially, moved the mountain.
Or put it this way: he made a breakthrough.
He legitimized the contacts between business and the AfD. It is not excluded that now there will be other wealthy Germans who want to have a one-on-one conversation with Alice Weidel.
Related topics:
Müller expressed his interest in the AfD's program and Weidel's political views during their conversations. Despite the speculations about his political leanings, Müller denied making donations to the party.
The upcoming meeting between Müller and Weidel is scheduled to take place at the end of the year, further fueling the discussions about Müller's potential support for right-wing politics.
