The Bundestag is dealing with allegations against AfD politics

This Thursday, the Bundestag addressed allegations of influence on the AfD from Russia and China in a debate. The coalition factions SPD, Greens and FDP had requested a current hour under the title “Threat to our democracy – Russia, China and the role of the AfD”.

The background is that the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office is examining whether investigations should be initiated against the AfD’s top candidate for the European elections, Maximilian Krah, in connection with possible payments from Russia and China. Krah is also criticized because one of his employees was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

According to Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser Germany is repeatedly the target of attempted attacks from Russia and other dictatorships. “Germany was and is the target of espionage and sabotage, disinformation and propaganda,” said the SPD politician in her speech. The aim is to weaken the Federal Republic. “We cannot and will not allow that.” There are completely new dangers. “For the first time we are facing the threat of Russian explosive attacks to stop our support for Ukraine.” Germany has therefore already expelled numerous Russian spies.

During the debate, the AfD accused the government of wanting to damage the AfD out of fear of the opposition. In the middle of the election campaign, the opposition should be portrayed as corrupt, said AfD politician Stefan Keuter.

AfD politicians criticize party leadership in the Krah case

Krah himself, who rejects all allegations, said on Wednesday after a conversation with AfD party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla that he would remain the AfD’s top candidate in the European elections. There is also a lot of criticism within the party about this. The outgoing AfD MEP Sylvia Limmer said: “I mean, for some people such a mandate and the AfD are also an economic business model.”

Several AfD politicians see the party leadership as sharing responsibility for the debate about Krah. “You duck away and don’t take political responsibility. And that’s disturbing because the allegations or the inconsistencies surrounding Maximilian Krah were completely known to the federal executive board,” said Limmer on Deutschlandfunk.

Already on Wednesday evening, AfD MEP Nicolaus Fest said that he saw party leaders Weidel and Chrupalla as having the main responsibility. “They have been advised several times that this is, I would say, a dud that can go off at any time,” he told the TV station RTL. However, the two party leaders ignored all warnings.