At the start of the AfD’s European election campaign in Donaueschingen, Maximilian Krah only officially appeared on the sidelines. The event was nevertheless overshadowed by the affair surrounding the highly controversial top candidate.
In view of the allegations against the EU’s leading candidate Maximilian Krah, the AfD leadership has accused its critics of wanting to deliberately drag the party into the mud. She is the victim of a campaign. “I just see how our party is being discredited,” said Alice Weidel, co-chair of the federal AfD, on Saturday at the start of the election campaign in Donaueschingen (Schwarzwald-Baar district). She spoke of a “double standard” in the media and other parties that applied different standards to the AfD.
Download video (58.6 MB | MP4)
Party leader: AfD will emerge stronger from this
Her co-leader Tino Chrupalla said: “It shouldn’t be about Krah, Krah, Krah, it’s about the party and not about the person.” They want to damage the AfD and cause unrest a few weeks before the European and local elections on June 9th. “We will resist this.” In the end, the AfD emerged stronger from this time. But Chrupalla also said: “Anyone who can be proven to be for sale has to go.”
AfD calls for Habeck’s resignation because of the nuclear phase-out
Weidel and Chrupalla used their speeches to counterattack the traffic light federal government. The AfD leader made fun of the partial legalization of cannabis. It’s about “smoking weed for everyone”. Weidel called on the Green Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck to resign because of his energy policy. Habeck ignored warnings from experts in his ministry about phasing out nuclear power a good year ago. Chrupalla also took aim at Habeck: “Every citizen should be free to choose how they heat and which car they drive.”
SWR reporter Henning Otte was in Donaueschingen (Schwarzwald-Baar district) and explains how the AfD deals with Krah’s involvement – namely with unity and attacks.
Download video (19.6 MB | MP4)
Chrupalla for negotiations with Russia
The AfD federal leader once again spoke out against German arms deliveries to Ukraine. “Haven’t we learned anything from history? We don’t have to take part in every war, that doesn’t help us.” Chrupalla called for negotiations with Russia, which is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. The European Union urgently needs to be reformed; it intervenes far too much in people’s daily lives. The AfD is not against Europe, but against the EU. If this cannot be reformed, one must consider “how to leave this EU”.
Demos in front of the hall: Scuffle between Antifa and police
A demonstration for democracy began around 1 p.m. in front of the hall where the AfD election campaign kicked off. The SPD, CDU, Greens and FDP, among others, called for the rally “For Democracy and Diversity in Europe”. Several hundred people protested against the AfD with whistles and posters. Shortly beforehand, a smaller group of Antifa from Villingen-Schwenningen had also joined the demo. She was accompanied by two dozen police officers on her march from the train station to the Donauhalle. The hall itself was sealed off with barriers by the police.
In Donaueschingen (Schwarzwald-Baar district), members of the Avaaz group and other opponents of the AfD demonstrate in front of the assembly hall where the party is launching its European election campaign.
picture alliance/dpa | Bernd Weissbrod
On the sidelines of the counter-demonstration there was a scuffle between Antifa and the police. An activist then attacked a police officer, a police spokesman said. The police then pushed the approximately 20 Antifa people away from the demonstration and established their personal details. The attacker must expect to be charged with bodily harm.
Krah not there in Donaueschingen
Even in the run-up to the event, the focus was on the allegations against AfD top candidate Krah, who was not at the start of the election campaign. On Monday evening, a Krah employee was arrested in the EU Parliament on suspicion of spying for China. He is said to have passed on information from the European Parliament and spied on Chinese opposition members in Germany. In addition, according to media reports, Krah is said to have accepted money through pro-Russian networks. Public prosecutors are investigating, even if Krah denies all allegations.
Espionage affair in the AfD Espionage affair in the AfD: An attempt to keep the distance
Espionage must be “detected and stopped with all severity,” emphasizes the AfD. Nevertheless, the party wants to stick to its European election top candidate Krah. On Thursday like this…
Question marks for Weidel and Chrupalla
The allegations also raised question marks for Weidel and Chrupalla. They wrote: “Any influence by foreign states through espionage, but also attempts to buy opinions and positions, must be investigated and strictly prevented.” This statement obviously also refers to Petr Bystron (AfD). The Bundestag member, who is in second place on the EU candidate list, has also been exposed for weeks to allegations and reports of being involved in pro-Russian propaganda channels and of having accepted money. He also protests his innocence.
Chrupalla has stated several times on television that AfD will draw clear consequences, “if these things are confirmed against Mr. Krah and Mr. Bystron.” Until then, the presumption of innocence applies. There are also individuals in the AfD who criticize the leadership’s two-pronged strategy. But others in the party are betting that their supporters and potential voters will not be deterred by the affair. On the contrary: They are hoping for a defiant reaction along the lines of: AfD now especially.
Espionage affair in the AfD AfD leader Chrupalla is trying to justify the espionage affair
“Treason, “a disgrace for our country” – the allegations against the AfD in the espionage affair are serious. Party leader Chrupalla now tried to redress his actions in the affair…
AfD state leaders believe in the media’s “campaign”.
The AfD state chairmen in Baden-Württemberg, Markus Frohnmaier and Emil Sätze, belong to this camp. “Of course we got the impression that if something looks like a campaign, if something feels like a campaign, then it usually is a campaign,” said Frohnmaier, who is also a member of the Bundestag.
Sätze also believes that the allegations were staged by the media, which worked together with the intelligence services. This production began with reporting on the remigration meeting in Potsdam. Now, just a few weeks before the European and local elections, old, unverifiable stories are being rehashed.
Download video (27.7 MB | MP4)
Will the AfD as a “brand” come through the affair unscathed?
Frohnmaier is counting on voters to see through this. “The AfD is a brand party. It’s not about individual people. Each of us can be replaced and the voters know what they will get if they vote for the AfD. In this respect, we are in good spirits and are moving forward with confidence election campaign.” Most recently, the AfD was at around 15 percent in surveys for the European elections.
Political expert: “Hardcore supporters feel confirmed in their role as victims”
The political and communications scientist Frank Brettschneider sees the AfD being pushed onto the defensive by the affair. “This means that it is not the AfD’s issues that are in the public eye, but rather the AfD itself and its behavior,” the expert from the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim told SWR. “Now the AfD can no longer portray the other parties as patriotic fellows who are not interested in the will of the people, because the AfD is perceived as being influenced or controlled from abroad.”
It doesn’t hurt the hardcore followers. They believe this is a conspiracy against the AfD, and then they feel reinforced in their role as victims.
On the other hand, it can be assumed that real fans remained loyal to the AfD. “It doesn’t hurt the hardcore supporters. They believe this is a conspiracy against the AfD, and then they feel strengthened in their role as victims.” Brettschneider believes these supporters make up about two-thirds of the party’s electorate.
“But then there are voters who are less firmly tied to the AfD. They may think again about whether they vote for this party,” said the professor. Recently, the AfD was able to mobilize some previous non-voters. It is quite possible that they will not cast their vote again. “Or they migrate, for example to the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance.”
Tübingen media professor: Scandals no longer exist like that
The Tübingen media scientist Bernhard Pörksen spoke on SWR of a “de-scandalization” that we are currently experiencing. “The scandal, with everything that goes with it, is over.” Pörksen points to Donald Trump, who joked in 2016: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” It can now also be observed here that an act no longer has the corresponding consequences and it no longer becomes a scandal. It is difficult to say what impact the AfD affair will have on the election outcome. Pörksen spoke of an “exciting experiment”.
Krah remains the top candidate
It is also an experiment for the AfD to keep Krah as the top candidate despite everything. Since the AfD’s list of candidates was submitted on time, he is now in first place – that can no longer be changed. It is no longer clear whether the AfD really knew who it had made its driving force.