“Not an AfD appointment”, a “purely private event”: The AfD tries to maintain maximum distance from a meeting with right-wing extremists, at which AfD politicians were also present. A restaurant chain and the NRW CDU are also trying to keep their distance.
AfD politicians, neo-Nazis and entrepreneurs met in November 2023 to discuss the expulsion of millions of people from Germany. Two CDU members were also present. The report by the research network “Correctiv” is causing discussions, reactions and concern.
The Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner has now confirmed that he spoke about “remigration” at the meeting. Experts understand the term to be a legal concept for the return of people who have fled or immigrated to their countries of origin. Sellner wrote in an email that his plan was not secret, but was being “discussed broadly and publicly in the patriotic camp.” He suggested a “model city” that “could be leased and organized as a special economic zone in North Africa.” Sellner added: “The concept of remigration is a suggestion from me. In my opinion, which party takes up or possibly implements it is not relevant.”
“No AfD appointment”
The AfD explained that it was not a party meeting and that nothing would change in the party’s known positions on immigration policy. Contacts between AfD politicians and the Austrian Sellner and his “Identitarian Movement” are not new, even if the AfD is officially distancing itself from the movement, which is considered right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
From the AfD side, former Bundestag member Roland Hartwig, who is now an advisor to party and parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel, was among those present at the meeting. A spokesman for Weidel confirmed this upon request and said: Ms. Weidel “had no knowledge of the participants. Hartwig also knew nothing about Sellner in advance.” A party spokesman added: “The AfD will not change its stance on immigration policy, which can be found in the party program, because of an individual opinion of a speaker at a meeting that was not an AfD event.”
“Purely private event”
Saxony-Anhalt’s AfD parliamentary group leader Ulrich Siegmund also confirmed his participation to “Correctiv” and explained that he was at the meeting as a private person and not in his capacity as a member of parliament for the AfD. The deputy Potsdam AfD district chairman Tim Krause also confirmed upon request that he was temporarily present at the meeting. Krause, who is also press spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group, emphasized: “It was a purely private event.”
“Hans im Glück” at maximum distance
It wasn’t just the AfD that tried to achieve maximum distance. The restaurant chain “Hans im Glück” also reacted. The invitation to the meeting apparently also included the name Hans-Christian Limmer, previously a co-partner of the burger chain and previously co-owner of the bakery chain “Backwerk”. The company said Limmer had offered to resign and this was accepted. The separation has immediate effect. The company “clearly distances itself from right-wing extremist views; they represent the exact opposite of our core values.”
“Against CDU principles”
The CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia also immediately tried to set boundaries. The two CDU members who were also represented according to research are therefore members of the right-wing conservative values union. Upon request from rbb24 A party spokesman said they were investigating the matter if party members had taken part in the meeting. The basic rule is: “Anyone who takes part in such meetings is violating the principles of the CDU.”
One of the participants from the Union of Values is said to be Michaela Schneider. In addition to the Union of Values, it also belongs to the CDU’s SME and Economic Union (MIT). The second participant is Simone Baum – deputy federal chairwoman of the Union of Values. While the Union of Values is not a party structure of the CDU, the Medium-sized Business and Economic Union (MIT) is part of the CDU.
Faeser warns against networking
With a view to the meeting, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned against networking enemies of the constitution with the AfD: “No one should underestimate this danger.” You can see how necessary it is “for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to monitor very closely what contacts there are in the right-wing extremist spectrum, how enemies of the constitution network with AfD representatives and what inhumane ideologies are propagated there,” she told the magazine “Stern”.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist case. The party filed a lawsuit against it. A decision on this from the Higher Administrative Court in Münster is expected at the end of February. “As part of the processing of suspected cases, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring the further development of the AfD very closely,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior. “Possible meetings with actors from the right-wing extremist spectrum are also included.”
Discussion about the AfD ban
Green party deputy Konstantin von Notz accused the AfD of “totalitarian intentions” in the “Stuttgarter Zeitung”. The security authorities would now have to deal with these closely. The demands for a “repopulation” are “clearly unconstitutional,” said SPD parliamentary group vice-president Dirk Wiese to the newspapers of the Funke media group. The case shows “what we have been pointing out for a long time: the AfD is hiding deep brown abysses under the cloak of bourgeoisity.”
Left leader Janine Wissler called on the CDU to make a decision on the incompatibility of the union of values. “Otherwise all talk of firewalls remains unbelievable,” she told the AFP news agency.
The research is also likely to fuel the discussion about a ban on the AfD. There are supporters in almost all democratic parties, although not universally. In the SPD, party leader Saskia Esken is more in favor of it, while Eastern Representative Carsten Schneider is against it. In the CDU, Saxon Marco Wanderwitz advocates a ban, while party leader Friedrich Merz does not.
Bianca Schwarz, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, January 10, 2024 11:29 a.m