Politicians and security authorities are alarmed after left-wing autonomists published the private addresses of the Hessian AfD candidates for the state elections in October. On a website specially created for this purpose, in addition to the names and photos of the individual politicians, there are also biographies, a political assessment, and for some the license plate number and even hobbies. Restaurants and venues where AfD politicians supposedly meet are also marked on an interactive map.
On its own website, Antifa Frankfurt, to which left-wing extremists from various groups feel affiliated, calls for the party to be met “above all in a militant manner” and “to make their life hell”. Specifically, campaign stands could be destroyed or the “classic confrontation” with politicians could be sought, for example as an “anti-fascist home visit”.
The LKA announces protective measures for politicians
As justification, the autonomists wrote that the right-wing extremist orientation of the AfD was visible daily, among other things “in its program”. The fact that politicians from the party were recently elected to office at the municipal level, such as Robert Stuhlmann as district administrator in the district of Sonneberg in Thuringia, also shows “where the journey is headed”.
The “Outing” website was already advertised on the Antifa portal on Sunday. She was still available on Wednesday. In the meantime, however, politicians in both Hesse and Berlin have condemned the action. “The actions of Antifa violate the principles of our peaceful democracy,” wrote the Hessian Ministers for Justice and Interior Roman Poseck and Peter Beuth (both CDU) in a joint statement. Personal threats are the “completely wrong way”. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior also said on Wednesday that violence and threats could never be an acceptable means of political debate. It is now the task of the police and law enforcement authorities in Hesse to clarify this.
The State Criminal Police Office said on request that the officials would contact each and every person concerned “at short notice” and would take “police measures to protect” the AfD politicians.
“Call for intimidation and violence”
The Hessian AfD head of state Andreas Lichert – whose private address was also published – said on Tuesday: “What Antifa Frankfurt is doing here is nothing more than a cryptic call for intimidation and violence against AfD politicians.” Anyone who has a family and is active in the party is worried. It feels like being declared “outlawed”.
The Hessian Office for the Protection of the Constitution should also deal with the case. The fact that left-wing extremists or even right-wing extremists publish the private addresses and/or car registration numbers of their political opponents as a tactical means of intimidation is nothing new for the officials. Such outings, also known as “doxing”, occur again and again and are specifically directed against AfD politicians on the left. As early as 2016, the radical portal “Linksunten Indymedia”, which has since been banned, published the list of participants at an AfD federal party conference – the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the 2100 participants were available on the Internet.
In 2018, a young man published the private addresses of more than 1,000 politicians and celebrities. Many of them had previously taken a stand against racism and discrimination. AfD politicians were not affected by the leak.
It is not yet known where the left-wing autonomists got the data from the AfD politicians in the current case. However, it is to a certain extent typical of the scene for left-wing and right-wing extremists to pursue and spy on their respective political opponents, sometimes even in private.