EA video from the Hessian SPD about the CDU and its top candidate Boris Rhein is causing a stir just a week before the state elections. The SPD’s top candidate, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, stopped the defamatory election video, the Berlin “Tagesspiegel” reported on Saturday, citing Hesse’s SPD General Secretary Christoph Degen. Faeser instructed the party to withdraw the video previously published on Instagram.
The election campaign spot refers to a joint vote between the CDU and AfD in Thuringia and asks: “Is there a threat of such cooperation soon in Hesse too? Will Boris Rhein get votes from right-wing extremists?” The video circulated on Saturday on the platform X, formerly Twitter. It was no longer visible on the SPD website. Degen could not initially be reached for a statement by the German Press Agency, nor could the spokespersons for the state party and Faeser.
“The CDU can no longer be relied on when it comes to AfD”
The almost 90-second video makes reference, among other things, to the former CDU politician Erika Steinbach, who has now joined the AfD and is chairwoman of an AfD-affiliated foundation. A picture of the controversial Wetzlar CDU politician Hans-Jürgen Irmer, who is considered a right-wing extremist in his party, is also shown. He recently gave up his remaining party positions early – the chairmanship of the CDU district association Lahn-Dill and the chairmanship of the CDU district council group.
“The CDU can no longer be relied on when it comes to the AfD,” says a female voice at the end of the video. “We guarantee that Hesse remains free of right-wing politics.” The message then appears in large white and red letters: “No black-brown cooperation.”
The CDU politician Armin Laschet criticized the video on The fact that Faeser and the SPD acted like this against “Walter Lübcke’s party” is humanly disappointing and unforgivable. The federal managing director of the Green Party, Emily Büning, described the video as “at least questionable”.