Alternative for Germany

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Alternative for Germany Logo, Google Images licensed with Creative Commons

Alternative for Germany (German: Alternative für Deutschland, Afd) is a populist ‘fast-growing’ anti-refugee and Eurosceptic party[1] founded in 2013.[2]

According to the Wall Street Journal in January 2015, the party had 'managed to avoid the Nazi label stuck to other right-wing German parties thanks in part to its image as a group founded by sober professors opposed to eurozone bailouts rather than by nationalist rabble-rousers'.[3]

Since then however, the party has increasing shifted towards the right and a hardline anti-refugee stance under the leadership of a 40-year-old Christian chemist and mother-of-four Frauke Petry. She took over in July 2015, prompting co-founders Bernd Lucke and Konrad Adam to quit the party because of the increasing polarisation between factions over direction away from Lucke's original economic focus.

In February 2016 Petry attracted wide condemnation after remarking that refugees should be shot at Germany's borders. She later tried to claim the press had lied about this however an audio-recording of the interview in which she had said this was released by Rhein-Zeitung. [4]

In March 2016 the party made dramatic gains in Germany's regional elections, entering state parliament for the first time in three regions, reportedly 'off the back of rising anger with Angela Merkel’s asylum policy'. [5]

Views

Attitudes to PEGIDA

Alexander Gauland, described as a 'party elder' by The Economist[2], has declared the AfD ‘the natural allies' of the anti-Islam PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West) movement and said he would attend a demonstration in December 2014[1]. He has also called for a stop to the migration into Germany of Muslims from the Middle East who 'aren’t willing or able to integrate'.[3]

A party leader Bernd Lucke has, according to the Daily Telegraph, called it 'good and right' that people were expressing their fears by demonstrating with PEGIDA and has written that the movement was 'a sign that these people do not feel their concerns are understood by politicians'.[6] This has been interpreted as indicating support for PEGIDA since other German politicians have strongly condemned the demonstrations. The other two leaders Frauke Petry and Konrad Adam are also said to 'sympathise' with PEGIDA.[2]

An Economist straw poll found that support was strong in the other direction: the magazine suggested 9 out of 10 supporters of PEGIDA would back AfD.[2] But some sources also suggest that AfD has 'faced internal division' over some of its members backing PEGIDA.[7]

Deputy leader and MEP, Hans-Olaf Henkel, reportedly called on party members not to join the demonstrators, saying there could be 'xenophobic or even racist connotations'[6] and reportedly wants the party only to retain an anti-euro message rather than use what The Economist calls 'populist innuendo against asylum-seekers, immigrants and homosexuals'.[2]

Support

In May 2014, AfD had seven candidates gain seats in the European parliament. Its MEPs include deputy leader Hans-Olaf Henkel.[8]

In Germany, AfD is represented in three eastern state parliaments.[2]. In February 2015 it won 6.1% of the vote in the elections for the state parliament of Hamburg, enough to gain it representation for the first time in the Western part of Germany, an important symbolic victory and sign that its support was becoming more mainstream.[8]

In January 2015, the party was said to be 'polling at around 6%', a level which, if sustained 'would clear the 5% threshold for seats in parliament in several critical state elections next year and in the federal parliament in 2017'.[3]

A man reportedly involved in organising the activities of both Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA) and the more violent Hooligans Against Salafists (HoGeSa)[9], was some sources claimed a lawyer and member of AfD.[10]

Split

In June 2016, the party split over anti-semitic remarks expressed by Wolfgang Gedeon, a regional law-maker. Thirteen members of the party — including the regional president Jörg Meuthen— quit and form a new alliance called Alternative for Baden-Württemberg. [11]

People

Leadership

In January 2015, the party had three leaders:

  • Bernd Lucke - joint party leader in January 2015[2] until 8 July 2015.
  • Frauke Petry - joint party leader in January 2015[2] sole leader from July 2015.
  • Konrad Adam - joint party leader in January 2015[2] until July 2015.

Others

Former members

Affiliations

Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Adam Withnall, Germany sees 'visible rise' in support for far-right extremism in response to perceived 'Islamisation' of the West, The Independent, 15 December 2014, accessed 5 Jan 2015
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Gone boy on the right, The Economist, 24 January 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Anton Troianovski, Upstart German Party Considers Anti-Islam Stance], Wall Street Journal, 28 January 2015
  4. ↑ [http://www.rhein-zeitung.de/nachrichten/deutschland-und-welt_artikel,-Luegenpresse-AfD-Chefin-Frauke-Petry-schreibt-ihr-Interview-dreist-um-_arid,1436297.html Lügenpresse? AfD-Chefin Frauke Petry schreibt ihr Interview dreist um, 4 February 2016, accessed 14 March 2016
  5. ↑ Philip Oltermann in Berlin, Anti-refugee AfD party makes big gains in German state elections, guardian.com, 13 march 2016 accessed same day
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Justin Huggler, German Eurosceptics embrace anti-Islam protests, Daily Telegraph, 10 December 2014
  7. ↑ PEGIDA leader Kathrin Oertel resigns one week after founder quits, CBC/Reuters, 28 January, accessed 2 February
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Peter Teffer, Anti-euro party AfD enters state parliament in Hamburg, EU Observer, 16 February 2015
  9. ↑ The End of Tolerance? Anti-Muslim Movement Rattles Germany, Spiegel Online International, 21 December 2014, accessed 5 January 2015
  10. ↑ Anti-Islamization protests expand in Germany, DW.de, 7 December 2014, accessed 6 January 2015
  11. ↑ Cynthia Kroet, 'Germany’s far-right AfD split over anti-Semitism' "Politico", 07 June 2016. Accessed 12 September 2016.
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