Latest news with #Chrupalla
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany's far-right AfD designated 'extremist' by intelligence agency
Germany's domestic intelligence agency said on Friday it has designated the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a confirmed "right-wing extremist" organization that "disregards human dignity" and threatens democracy. The new classification, which gives the agency broader surveillance power over the AfD, is the result of a comprehensive review, the findings of which are laid out in a 1,100-page internal report. It comes just days before Germany's new conservative-led government is set to take office under future chancellor Friedrich Merz. The agency, called the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), said there was concrete evidence that the party pursues efforts that threaten Germany's democratic order, pointing to its anti-immigrant rhetoric. "The party's prevailing understanding of the people based on ethnicity and descent is incompatible with the free democratic basic order," the agency said. Specifically, it said the far-right AfD considers German citizens with roots in predominantly Muslim countries to be unequal citizens. The report said it saw evidence of "ongoing agitation" by the party against refugees and migrants, citing statements by AfD politicians in internal communications, speeches and social media, ranging from "deportation creates living space!" to "every foreigner in this country is one too many." Party under surveillance Three regional branches of the party - in the eastern states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt - have already been classified as confirmed right-wing extremist organizations. The national party, which soared to a second-place finish in February's general election, was previously given "suspected" extremist status by the agency. The AfD unsuccessfully challenged that designation in court. The courts upheld the "suspected" classification in May 2024, allowing the BfV to have the party under surveillance, enabling it proportionate use of party informants, image and sound recordings. The designation as a "confirmed" right-wing extremist organization lowers the threshold for such surveillance measures. AfD dismisses decision The party's co-chairs, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, described the move as a serious blow to democracy. "The federal government has only four days left in office. The intelligence agency does not even have a president anymore," they wrote in a press statement. "The associated targeted interference in the democratic decision-making process is therefore clearly politically motivated," Weidel and Chrupalla said, adding that the party would take legal steps. In later comments, Chrupalla claimed that the agency had not presented any evidence to justify its assessment. "If one is supposed to correct one's mistakes and would like to do so, then one has of course to know what the specific allegations are," he said. Outgoing Interior Minister Nancy Faeser earlier emphasized that the BfV's decision was independent and not politically motivated. "There has been no political influence whatsoever on the new report," she said in a statement. The agency is tasked not only with counter-espionage and investigating terrorist activities, but also with identifying and naming groups that oppose the democratic order - principles that include human dignity, democracy and the rule of law. Designation sparks discussion over party ban Surveillance by the BfV has no connection to bans on political parties, which can only be requested from the Constitutional Court by one of Germany's houses of parliament or the government itself. But with Germany's mainstream parties already grappling with how to treat the AfD opposition during the next legislative period, the new designation has rekindled the debate over banning the party. Lawmakers from several mainstream parties have already suggested that the classification could be a step in that direction. Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats (SPD) urged caution, however. "I am against a hasty decision and will therefore not say that this is what we should do," he said of a potential ban. Rubio criticizes classification The new designation also drew attention from abroad, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slamming the move as "tyranny in disguise." "What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD - which took second in the recent election - but rather the establishment's deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes," he said in a post on X. "Germany should reverse course." Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev also criticized the "strong words" used against a parliamentary party. "Apparently, the CDU/CSU, SPD and other German party trivia consider those with higher ratings to be extremists," he wrote in a post on X. Russia has been cultivating ties with the AfD and other far-right parties in Europe for several years. The AfD has repeatedly shown itself friendly towards Russia. From the fringes Founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party, the AfD quickly shifted direction as nationalist and far-right figures rose to prominence, prompting many of its original members to depart. The party gained significant momentum during the 2015 refugee crisis, when hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers entered Germany. In the 2017 federal election, the AfD emerged as the third-largest party in the lower house of parliament, securing 12.6% of the national vote before dropping to 10.4% in 2021. It experienced a big rebound in this year's parliamentary election, doubling its support to 20.8% following a campaign that featured open support from tech billionaire Elon Musk. Despite its nationwide gains, the AfD's strongest support remains concentrated in eastern Germany.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Germany's far-right AfD divided over Trump tariff policies
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is divided on US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff policies. The party's co-leader Tino Chrupalla told the Bild tabloid on Tuesday that Trump's move to slap blanket tariffs of 10% on all imports, with further duties for the EU and many countries, was "understandable." The comments came days after his fellow co-leader Alice Weidel - the AfD's top candidate in February's parliamentary election - called the policy "poison for free trade" and demanded action by EU leaders to prevent the tariffs. Chrupalla said the party supports free trade in principle. "But sometimes you have the restrict free trade to protect your economy," he said. "President Trump wants to force other countries to negotiate; He wants to improve the US trade balance and stimulate industry." "That is understandable," he added. The AfD, which reached second place in February's election, is ideologically close to Trump's Republican Party. Chrupalla travelled to Washington for Trump's inauguration, while Weidel has received open support from White House adviser Elon Musk and met US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in February. Germany's export-based economy is set to be particularly hard hit by the Trump tariffs, with a 20% duty on all imports from the EU due to take effect on Wednesday amid efforts from EU leaders to negotiate a deal.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany's far-right AfD sets sights on next election after sharp rise
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is hoping to win the country's next election, co-leader Alice Weidel said on Monday, one day after the party secured a historic second-place finish on the back of an unprecedented showing in eastern Germany. Weidel led the AfD to the best result for a far-right party in Germany's post-Nazi history on Sunday, doubling its share of the vote from 2021 to reach a stunning 20.8%. In comments just hours after final results came in, Weidel said the party's ambition is to become the strongest force in the next Bundestag - the country's lower house of parliament - after the next election, replacing the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU). "We have been able to form a very good platform here, a strategic platform that has the best prerequisites to overtake the CDU within the next few years," said Weidel. The next German election is scheduled for 2029. Weidel and her fellow co-leader Tino Chrupalla have already confirmed they plan to remain as co-chairs of the party's faction in the Bundestag following the successful campaign, which came despite the AfD being under investigation by domestic intelligence services as a suspected right-wing extremist group. As conservative leader Friedrich Merz has ruled out working with the party - a stance known in Germany as the "firewall" - the AfD is set to become the largest opposition group in the Bundestag, offering it more speaking time and an additional platform to communicate its anti-immigrant views. Merz, whose bloc made up of the CDU and its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), finished top on 28.5% of the vote, is set to replace outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats (SPD), but he will likely need to work with the SPD to form a viable coalition in parliament. Chrupalla earlier hailed the AfD's performance as "sensational," arguing that the result showed residents of eastern German in particular, where the party topped the polls, no longer accept the firewall. "East Germans have clearly shown that they no longer want a firewall," Chrupalla told local radio station rbb inforadio. Sunday's election showed a clear divide along old Cold War lines in the reunified Germany, with the AfD having won overwhelmingly across the formerly communist German Democratic Republic. In the former East German states of Brandenburg, Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party reached between 32.5% and 38.6% of the vote share. Results also showed the AfD doing far better in rural areas and small towns across the country, including in the west, while performing more poorly in big cities such as Berlin. That might account for some of the party's strength in eastern Germany, which is more sparsely populated. The AfD's domestic surge has coincided with its increasing visibility on the international stage, with tech billionaire Elon Musk offering his support on numerous occasions during the election campaign. Congratulations came in from far-right circles across the world following Sunday's results. "The people of Germany voted for change in immense numbers," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote in a post on X, days after he hosted Weidel for a meeting in Budapest. "I want to congratulate Alice Weidel on doubling AfD's share of the votes," he added. Weidel also said she missed a congratulatory call from Musk overnight. "This morning, when I turned on my phone or looked at it, I received missed calls in the night from the United States, including from Elon Musk, who congratulated me personally," Weidel said at a press conference in Berlin. Reaching the symbolic mark of 20% represents a significant breakthrough for the AfD, which was founded in 2013 as a eurosceptic party but shifted its attention toward migration policy following former chancellor Angela Merkel's historic decision to keep Germany's borders open during the 2015 migration crisis. While the party saw a marked dip in the 2021 election, which was dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, the latest result suggests its long-term upward trend is continuing - and the AfD's leaders are happy to play the long game. "You have to have a little courage to be calm. We have that," Chrupalla said on Monday, adding that the AfD would continue to develop and professionalize its programme. "And then we will get another 5 to 6% in the next election," said Chrupalla.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German far right triumphant after emerging as clear winner in east
The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Monday hailed his party's showing in the country's parliamentary election as "sensational," after the AfD came in second behind the conservative bloc with around 20.8% of the vote. While that was the best showing for a far-right party in Germany's post-Nazi history, it conceals a clear divide along old Cold War lines, with the AfD the overwhelming winner across the former communist East Germany. "East Germans have clearly showed that they no longer want a firewall," AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla told local radio station rbb inforadio, referring to an agreement among Germany's mainstream political parties against cooperation with the far right. The AfD would be patient, Chrupalla said in view of the outcome of Sunday's vote, which will likely see his party becoming the biggest opposition faction in parliament, as the conservatives have vowed not to seek a coalition with the AfD. "You have to have a little courage to be calm. We have that," he said adding that the AfD would continue to develop and professionalize its programme. "And then we will get another 5 to 6% in the next election," said Chrupalla. "Those who build firewalls will be fried behind them, Mr Merz will experience that too," Chrupalla told a morning programme on public broadcaster ARD, referring to conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who looks set to replace outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The AfD, which has been classified as a far-right extremist group by domestic intelligence in some eastern German states, achieved 20.8% at national level in Sunday's early elections, behind the conservatives at 28.5%.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Far-right AfD leader casts his ballot in eastern Germany
The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Tino Chrupalla, voted in the country's election on Sunday morning and expressed confidence that his anti-immigration party will achieve its best result at national level yet. His fellow co-leader Alice Weidel, the AfD's candidate for chancellor who has been the face of the party's campaign, had previously said she would vote by postal ballot. Weidel, whose partner and family live across the border in Switzerland, has faced questions about whether she actually resides at her registered address in southern Germany or likewise lives abroad. Chrupalla, who cast his ballot in the eastern German town of Gablenz, said he believed the AfD will win "a very strong result of over 20%." Pre-election polling has consistently put the party in second place at around 20%, behind the opposition conservatives and ahead of the Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. If confirmed in the election, this would be the party's best result at national level since its founding days in 2013, and the strongest showing for a far-right party in Germany's post-Nazi history. Chrupalla predicted that the AfD would be particularly strong in eastern Germany, where the party won state elections for the first time last year.
