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The Independent
24-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Who are the AfD? Germany's new far-right opposition and the subject of Elon Musk's infatuation
Germany 's far-right AfD party have surged to an historic second place in national elections, securing an unprecedented influence in the country's post-war political landscape. The AfD doubled their share from 2021 to win 20.8 per cent of the vote in Sunday's election, in a surge described by victor Friedrich Merz – whose conservative bloc won with just 28.5 per cent – as a 'final warning' to democratic parties. Despite being designated by Germany's domestic intelligence agency as a suspected extremist organisation, whose leaders have been fined for using banned Nazi slogans and members expelled for suspected paramilitary involvement, the AfD's electoral success came in a campaign dominated by concerns over immigration and marred by three suspected terror attacks, bolstering support for the hardline anti-migrant party. While Mr Merz and other democratic parties still insist they will not work with the AfD, the far-right party has won powerful international allies, such as billionaire X owner Elon Musk and US vice president JD Vance, whose backing may see their influence continue to grow. For now, their securing of 152 Bundestag seats hands the party a significant say in Germany's future, as cracks begin to appear in the decades-old political firewall – the Brandmauer – aimed at excluding the far right from national politics. Who are the AfD? The party Alternative for Germany (AfD) was first set up in 2013, with its initial manifesto focusing solely on dissolving the Eurozone and opposing bailouts for countries struggling with the debt crisis. Founded by breakaway members of the conservative CDU party, it was initially dubbed a 'party of professors' and veered away from harsh anti-migrant sentiment, crafting a reputational shield against accusations of extremism. However, a series of leadership changes saw the party veer further into a hardline territory marked by its anti-migrant and anti-Islam stance, and rooted in nativism, following successes in regional elections. Since 2023, Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV has listed AfD as a suspected extremist organisation which requires surveillance, while classifying its youth wing Young Alternative as extremist. What has AfD said about Islam and Nazism? By the time of the 2017 election, which saw it enter the Bundestag for the first time with 12.6 per cent of the vote, AfD's manifesto claimed that 'Islam does not belong in Germany' and claimed that Germany's Muslim population posed 'a great danger to our state, our society and our system of values'. At the same time, the party has shown sympathy for Germany's Nazi past. Bjorn Hocke, AfD's leader in the eastern state of Thuringia, has twice been fined by a court for using the banned slogan ' Alles für Deutschland' (Everything for Germany) during public speeches, which was engraved on the daggers of Nazi SA Stormtroopers. Mr Hocke, whose branch won in state elections last September – marking the first such far-right victory in post-war Germany – has also described Berlin's Holocaust Memorial as 'a monument of shame', and has called for a '180-degree turn' in how Germany remembers its past. Alexander Gauland, an AfD co-founder and former leader, has claimed that Germans should ' have the right to be proud of the achievements of the German soldiers in two world wars'. The AfD's rhetoric on immigration has also increasingly tested the boundaries of Germany's post-war society. Mass protests were triggered last January against the AfD amid calls from parliamentarians to ban the party, after a bombshell investigation exposed a secret meeting with far-right extremists in Potsdam to discuss the mass deportation of foreigners and 'non-assimilated' Germans should the AfD win power. But while AfD politicians initially denied the reports as a smear, the party began actively campaigning for 'remigration' – the term reportedly used at the secret meeting – just weeks later. How has support for AfD grown? 'Remigration' has been central to the AfD's recent election campaign, during which the party's leader Alice Wiedel has been invited onto TV to take part in election debates for the first time, while their policies have increasingly been amplified on social media, including by X owner and increasingly vocal AfD backer Elon Musk. Ms Wiedel, who is now the most followed political leader in Germany on Musk's platform, has been widely described as presenting a palatable and unorthodox front for the AfD's extreme views, given her background as a Goldman Sachs financial analyst and her sexual orientation as a lesbian. Despite this, AfD has become the loudest voice against LGBTQ+ rights in the Bundestag, even calling for the repeal same-sex marriage and adoption in 2017. 'Does that sound like Hitler to you? Come on!' Musk wrote of Ms Weidel's background, as he endorsed the AfD in a December newspaper op-ed calling the party Germany's 'last spark of hope'. On the eve of the election, Der Spiegel 's Berlin office editor Marina Kormbaki noted that, 'under Alice Weidel, the party has lost its horror for many voters, and Weidel's numerous TV appearances have accelerated the normalisation of the AfD', which was set to benefit from a series of suspected terror attacks involving migrants. Yet when Ms Weidel took to the stage in Berlin on Sunday night – as exit polls showed the AfD was on course for a historic result – she was greeted by chants from her supporters with chants once again echoing the banned slogan adopted by Adolf Hitler's Stormtroopers: 'Alice für Deutschland.'
Russia Today
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Scholz concedes defeat in German election
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded defeat on Sunday, congratulating his conservative rival Friedrich Merz, whose Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance is projected to win a snap election. Exit polls published by public broadcaster ZDF show the CDU/CSU leading with 28.5% of the vote, while Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) suffered a historic low of just 16.5% – their worst showing since World War II. 'This is a bitter election result for the Social Democratic Party. It is also an electoral defeat,' Scholz acknowledged in his first statement after the results were released, as quoted by Reuters. Addressing his opponent, Scholz congratulated him on the outcome. Merz promised to act quickly in forming a government. 'Tonight, we celebrate, and from tomorrow, we start working... The world out there is not waiting for us,' he said. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) also made history by finishing second with nearly 20% of the projected vote – the party's strongest national result to date. Party co-leader Alice Weidel called the outcome 'historic,' declaring that AfD is 'open to coalition negotiations... otherwise, no real policy change will be possible in Germany.' Scholz's governing coalition, which collapsed in November after the Free Democrats (FDP) withdrew, also suffered significant losses. The Greens polled at 12%, while the FDP barely cleared the 5% threshold required to enter parliament. Analysts predict that a 'grand coalition' between the CDU/CSU and SPD – Germany's dominant centrist parties – remains the most viable path to forming a government. The two parties have shared power four times since WWII, most recently under former Chancellor Angela Merkel. However, it remains uncertain whether Scholz will play a role in any new government. Merz himself earlier ruled out cooperation within the same cabinet. The CDU/CSU has moved further to the right under Merz's leadership, particularly on migration policy, marking a departure from Merkel's more centrist approach. The election campaign was dominated by heated debates over immigration, exacerbated by a series of attacks involving migrants. In a surprise move, US Vice President J.D. Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk openly weighed in. Vance met with Wiedel in Germany last week, and their meeting reportedly focused on the Ukraine conflict, German domestic policies, and freedom of speech, including the so-called 'Brandmauer', or 'firewall against the right.' Musk has long criticized Scholz as a 'fool' and endorsed Weidel for chancellor, talking to her during a live chat. The billionaire also made a surprise appearance during an AFD election campaign event in Halle in late January, speaking publicly in support of the party.
Local Germany
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
How fake social media accounts are spreading disinformation ahead of German election
Disinformation and targeted propaganda campaigns are increasingly prevalent, and in the run up to the Bundestag election on February 23rd, Germany has become a target. A new report suggests that over 1,000 fake social media accounts have been boosting engagement on posts by members of the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and also adding to criticism of their opponents. This comes as another investigation, by the German nonprofit Correctiv and the US watchdog NewsGuard, revealed that a former Florida deputy sheriff who fled to Russia to avoid extortion charges is behind hundreds of fake news sites spreading disinformation. Fake news disseminated on those sites promoted German political parties that the Kremlin sees as friendly, such as the AfD and the far-left Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), while attacking leaders of the parties that are critical of the Kremlin, or voice support for NATO, Ukraine or the EU, like the Greens, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Christian Democrats (CDU). Between disinformation posted on fake news sites, and comments by bots on social media, multiple campaigns promoting the AfD and attacking their critics have been identified. Over one thousand fake accounts targeting Germany's 2025 election Cyabra, which works with businesses to identify disinformation campaigns online, shared a new report with The Local that identified more than 1,000 fake accounts operated by bots designed to engage in Germany's election discourse and boost AfD narratives. The research analysed online profiles from three German parties – AfD, SPD and the Greens – and found that a surge of fake profiles were strategically promoting pro-AfD narratives and undermining their opponents. An analysis of comments on posts by AfD co-leader and the party's top candidate Alice Weidel found that 23 percent of them were made by fake accounts, artificially boosting her digital presence and creating an illusion of broader support. On one key post, which gained 126 million views, Cyabra noted 33 percent of interactions were from fake profiles. Meanwhile, 15 percent of posts discussing The Greens came from fake profiles and 14 percent of those commenting on the SPD. In one post from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 22 percent of comments came from fake accounts. Many of the fake account interactions reinforced criticism by real users, artificially enlarging SPD opposition online. Comments from fake accounts were focused on targeted narratives, such as attacking support for the 'firewall' (the word that mainstream parties use to show they are unwilling to work with the AfD) and suggesting that the Greens' and SPD's stance against the far right would 'destroy Germany'. Protesters hold a banner which reads "We are the firewall. No cooperation with the AfD (far-right Alternative for Germany party)" at a large demo against the far right. Fake accounts online have specifically targeted mentions of the firewall, or Brandmauer, to artificially boost digital support for the AfD. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) Of the 1,000+ fake accounts that Cyabra identified, nearly half were created more than a year ago, suggesting the long-term scope of the disinformation campaign. But more and more bots are continuously brought online, with the other half having been created within the past year and about 13 percent launched in the past 30 days. How were fake accounts identified? Asked about their research methods, Cyabra CEO Dan Brahmy told The Local that the company uses AI technology 'to analyse online conversations, detect fake accounts, and measure the authenticity of engagements". 'Our detection methods … leverage behavioural analysis, network mapping, and content verification to minimise false positives,' he added. Cyabra's report suggests that the German election is being actively manipulated. 'The scale and coordination of this disinformation reveals a dangerous effort to reshape public perception, influence undecided voters, and push a specific political agenda,' the report's authors wrote. Not new tactics Coordinated disinformation campaigns, including those targeting election campaigns, are not new to Germany. How vulnerable are German elections? So far German voters overall appear to be a bit harder to sway than those in other major democracies. Regarding the aforementioned fake news sites allegedly created by the former US sheriff, for instance, AFP reported that they have struggled to achieve the same traction in Germany compared to similar campaigns in the US, which got tens of millions of views. This is perhaps partially explained by the fact that the creator behind that campaign is not German, and is not intimately familiar with German political dialogue. It may also help that at least 63 percent of German voters still rely primarily on traditional media (TV, radio, newspapers etc) as their primary source of election information, according to a recent YouGov survey. But the increasing intensity of online disinformation campaigns is worrying. With disinformation being actively disseminated at this scale, experts warn that we could be seeing the beginning of an era in which social media has more sway over elections than the political campaigns themselves. Experts suggest that democracies need to make efforts to safeguard against disinformation. Researchers at Stanford University have identified effective tactics
Russia Today
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Vance meets leader of ‘firewalled' German party backed by Musk
US Vice President J.D. Vance met with Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany's 'firewalled' Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, on Friday. Vance was in the country to attend the annual Munich Security Conference. Their meeting reportedly lasted about half an hour and focused on the Ukraine conflict, German domestic policies, and freedom of speech, including the so-called 'Brandmauer', or 'firewall against the right.' The term refers to a stance embraced by mainstream German parties that aims to prevent the right-wing powers from joining ruling coalitions in the country. News of the meeting came after Vance slammed European politicians for 'fearing' their own voters by refusing to engage with right-wing parties in a speech on Friday. While he did not mention the AfD directly, he said European governments should drop 'firewalls' and 'embrace' public opinion or lose the right to be called democratic. Vance referred to the recent endorsement of Weidel for German chancellor by Elon Musk, a close ally to US President Donald Trump, whose online presence at an AfD rally in Halle last month resulted in accusations of election interference from the German government. The vice president dismissed the allegations, painting Musk's endorsement as an example of free speech, a core democratic value. He chided the European establishment for criticizing Musk, and said he feared free speech was 'in retreat' across the continent. READ MORE: Vance slams EU leaders for 'running in fear' The AfD denies being far-right, insisting that it promotes the interests of the German people with its anti-immigration stance. It has, however, been put under surveillance for suspected extremism by German intelligence. Despite the allegations, public support for the party has been growing, and it is currently polling in second place ahead of the German parliamentary election on February 23, with 21% of the public saying they support it. Weidel did not comment on her meeting with Vance, but praised his remarks in Munich in a post on X, saying they were 'excellent' and applauding his comment regarding firewalls. According to Reuters, citing Vance's office, he met with leaders of all of Germany's major political parties while in Munich, including Friedrich Merz, the head of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is currently leading in the polls. After meeting with Vance, Merz said in a post on X that he and the vice president 'reaffirmed the special importance of transatlantic relations.' However, he later described Vance's speech in Munich as 'little short of interference.' READ MORE: AfD is top choice among gay German men – poll Other German politicians have also criticized Vance for his remarks targeting their policies, with incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz posting on X that 'the extreme right should be out of political decision-making processes' in Germany and stating that Vance had no right to give the country advice on the issue.
