Protest against Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party has gathered momentum following a report that two senior party members attended a meeting to discuss mass deportation of citizens of foreign origin. The party has long been critical of immigrants, but the proposals reported by Correctiv to deport “unassimilated citizens” to “a model state in North Africa” have sparked widespread outrage in Germany, drawing comparisons to the Nazis’ initial plan to deport European Jews to Madagascar.
Stephan Kalsh, a protester at a demonstration in Cologne, stated that “The line has long since been crossed”. The protests have attracted tens of thousands of people and have been attended by high-ranking officials such as Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The AfD, which is currently polling second in nationwide surveys, has denied that the deportation plans are party policy. Co-leader Alice Weidel has severed ties with one of her advisers who participated in the talks. However, Germany’s domestic spy chief Thomas Haldenwang has warned of extremist movements within the AfD and placed the party under security surveillance.
The plans have drawn widespread condemnation from political and security leaders, with Chancellor Scholz urging democrats to stand against far-right “fanatics” and Haldenwang calling for the “silent majority” to wake up. Images of thousands of citizens protesting against the AfD in cities nationwide suggest that they may just be doing so. Banners at a protest in Berlin read “Nazis, no thank you”, “It feels like 1933, AfD ban now!” and “Investigate banning AfD”.
More protests are scheduled for later in the week in Berlin and Hamburg. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel has defended the party, stating that their aim is to exhaust all legal means to prevent illegal migration and deport migrants suspected of terrorism. She emphasized that German citizenship is not to be distributed easily.
The AfD has taken the spotlight this year ahead of the European Parliamentary elections and three state elections in eastern Germany, where it is polling in first place. Public support for the AfD has increased due to discontent with the ruling coalition’s handling of crises such as the Ukraine war and immigration. Public infighting has made Chancellor Scholz’s government one of the least popular in modern German history.
Despite the Correctiv report, there is no evidence of a decrease in support for the AfD, which remained steady in recent polls. Political analysts believe that the strength of the AfD has influenced the political debate and contributed to tougher policies and rhetoric on irregular migration. There have been discussions among politicians about the possibility of calling on the constitutional court to ban the AfD, but most worry it could backfire. The party could use a ban to portray itself as a victim of the establishment.
(Reporting by Sarah Marsh, Petra Wischgoll, Tanya Wood, Andreas Rinke; Editing by Christina Fincher)
