After neo-Nazi meeting, Germany’s far-right AfD bashed by Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz slammed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after an investigation found that members of the party were present at a meeting of right-wing extremists in which a “master plan” to deport migrants and “unassimilated citizens” was reportedly discussed.
The report, by the German investigative outlet Correctiv, has sent shockwaves across the country as political leaders drew historical parallels to similar plans made by the Nazis.
“We do not allow anyone to differentiate the ‘we’ in our country based on whether someone has an immigration history or not,” Scholz said. “We protect everyone — regardless of origin, skin color.”
The AfD has been rising in polls in recent months amid unrest over migration, currently sitting in second place at 23 percent, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls, sparking debate in Germany about whether the party poses an acute threat to democracy.
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Several AfD officials met with right-wing extremists and neo-Nazi activists in a hotel near Berlin in November, according to the Correctiv report. The AfD officials — including Roland Hartwig, right-hand man to party co-leader Alice Weidel — met figures including Martin Sellner, an Austrian right-wing extremist in the Identitarian movement, who has admitted to neo-Nazi activity in his youth. Two members of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) also attended the meeting, according to the report.
During their meeting, Sellner presented a “remigration” plan to expel millions of people from Germany, including asylum seekers, foreigners with the right to remain and “unassimilated citizens,” Correctiv reported.
The investigation has triggered further outrage over the AfD’s hard-line positions — while the party has tried to distance itself from the meeting.
But Kevin Kühnert, the governing Social Democrats’ general secretary, appealed “to all those who do not want history to repeat itself” to stand up against the AfD and to “not leave the field to the ‘enemies of mankind,'” German media reported.
Scholz added that opponents of German democracy will be investigated by the country’s domestic intelligence agency.
“Learning from history is not just lip service,” Scholz warned.