Alternative for Germany
Alternative for Germany (German: Alternative für Deutschland, Afd), are a ‘fast-growing’ Eurosceptic party[1] founded in 2013 and represented in three eastern state parliaments.[2]
In January 2015, the party had three leaders: Bernd Lucke, Frauke Petry, and Konrad Adam.
Alexander Gauland, described as a 'party elder' by The Economist[2], has declared the AfD ‘the natural allies' of the anti-Islam PEGIDA (Patriot Europeans Against Islamisation of the West) movement and said he would attend a demonstration in December 2014[1]
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'.[3] 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.[4]
Deputy leader, Hans-Olaf Henkel, reportedly called on party members not to join the demonstrators, saying there could be 'xenophobic or even racist connotations'[3] 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]
Affiliations
Resources
- Philipp Wittrock, The Know-It-All Party: Anti-Euro 'Alternative for Germany' Launches, Spiegel Online International, 12 April 2013,
- Harriet Alexander, and Jeevan Vasagar, Bernd Lucke interview: 'Why Germany has had enough of the euro', The Telegraph, 7 April 2013</ref>
- Nicholas Kulish and Melissa Eddy, German Elites Drawn to Anti-Euro Party, Spelling Trouble for Merkel, New York Times, 14 April 2013.
Notes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Gone boy on the right, The Economist, 24 January 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Justin Huggler, German Eurosceptics embrace anti-Islam protests, Daily Telegraph, 10 December 2014
- ↑ PEGIDA leader Kathrin Oertel resigns one week after founder quits, CBC/Reuters, 28 January, accessed 2 February
