Latest news with #Chrupalla
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
'He just can't hack it' - AfD leader Chrupalla attacks Merz on TV
In the recent editon of the "summer interview" series of German public broadcaster ZDF, filmed in Görlitz, the parliamentary constituency of the AfD co-chairman, Tino Chrupalla sharply criticised Friedrich Merz's government policy. "You can see in his government work: he just can't manage it," said Chrupalla on the Federal Chancellor's Middle East policy, despite the AfD's support of halting the export of weapons to war and crisis zones. And, as ZDF journalist Wulf Schmiese pointed out several times, the fact that the AfD was fully supportive of the Chancellor's specific decision to restrict arms deliveries to Israel. On the war in Ukraine, Tino Chrupalla said on ZDF that Chancellor Merz should have made direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Because he had not done so, Friedrich Merz was "at the cat's table" in the talks organised by US President Donald Trump. 'Russia not an enemy' Chrupalla said that he did not see Russia as an enemy. "It is precisely this war rhetoric that we must put an end to," explained the AfD politician, who confirmed that he himself had done civilian service in place of serving in the armed forces for his, then still mandatory, time of national service. When asked about his party's ability to form a coalition, the East German Chrupalla was confident: "In my constituency, we are just short of 50 per cent. (...) Whether we need a coalition partner at all remains to be seen", he said, adding that his party's "Project 40" would play an important role in any elections in Saxony. The next ones for the state assembly are scheduled for 2029 The interview with Tino Chrupalla was broadcast on Sunday evening, but had been pre-recorded after the interview with the co-chair of the parliamentary group, Alice Weidel, was massively disrupted by activists.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
'He just can't do it' - AfD leader Chrupalla attacks Merz on TV
In the recent editon of the "summer interview" series of German public broadcaster ZDF, filmed in Görlitz, the parliamentary constituency of the AfD co-chairman, Tino Chrupalla sharply criticised Friedrich Merz's government policy. "You can see in his government work: he just can't manage it," said Chrupalla on the Federal Chancellor's Middle East policy, despite the AfD's support of halting the export of weapons to war and crisis zones. And, as ZDF journalist Wulf Schmiese pointed out several times, the fact that the AfD was fully supportive of the Chancellor's specific decision to restrict arms deliveries to Israel. On the war in Ukraine, Tino Chrupalla said on ZDF that Chancellor Merz should have made direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Because he had not done so, Friedrich Merz was "at the cat's table" in the talks organised by US President Donald Trump. 'Russia not an enemy' Chrupalla said that he did not see Russia as an enemy. "It is precisely this war rhetoric that we must put an end to," explained the AfD politician, who confirmed that he himself had done civilian service in place of serving in the armed forces for his, then still mandatory, time of national service. When asked about his party's ability to form a coalition, the East German Chrupalla was confident: "In my constituency, we are just short of 50 per cent. (...) Whether we need a coalition partner at all remains to be seen", he said, adding that his party's "Project 40" would play an important role in any elections in Saxony. The next ones for the state assembly are scheduled for 2029 The interview with Tino Chrupalla was broadcast on Sunday evening, but had been pre-recorded after the interview with the co-chair of the parliamentary group, Alice Weidel, was massively disrupted by activists.
Euractiv
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Germany's left-populist Wagenknecht Alliance open to talks with far right AfD
BERLIN – Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the eponymous Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, has indicated she is open to holding political talks with the far-right Alternative for Germany. German mainstream parties including the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, the Greens, and the socialist Left refuse to cooperate with the AfD at a national level. In May, the country's intelligence services classified the party as "extremist". While denying that any talks were taking place, Wagenknecht told the German press agency dpa that her BSW party could approach the AfD and their co-leader, Tino Chrupalla. 'If you ask me whether I would also talk to Mr Chrupalla if there was a concrete reason to do so, ... [the answer would be] yes, of course," she said. She referred to a controversial meeting in the state of Thuringia between BSW's state parliamentary leader Frank Augsten and the AfD's Björn Höcke, a prominent figure on the party's most extreme wing. By official accounts, the two-hour meeting focused on an ongoing parliamentary deadlock over judicial appointments. Chrupalla welcomed Wagenknecht's openness, claiming that there were ongoing informal talks with BSW. 'We're already speaking about what moves Germany and how we can change majorities,' he told German broadcaster Welt TV . 'Undemocratic' exclusion BSW had split from the Left in 2024 over Wagenknecht's criticism of the party's progressive social and migration policy, which she argued was neglecting the needs of the working class. Critics have since branded her "close to the AfD" and Russia-friendly over her criticism of Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Wagenknecht herself has described her political views as "left-conservative". She has previously ruled out working with the AfD – Germany's second-most popular party –, but criticised its political isolation. "The AfD is currently supported by more than one in five voters," she said. "Exclusion and bans on speech are undemocratic and a slap in the face for these voters, which will only bind them even more to the AfD." The BSW has been going through a rough patch, however. After a number of successful elections in 2024, including the European elections, it failed to win a single seat in Germany's national elections in February. The BSW is yet to join a group in the European Parliament, having failed to launch a new one alongside the remnants of Italy's Five Star Movement. (om)
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.
