Hundreds of thousands are protesting on Germany’s streets after reports of a meeting with right-wing extremist activists in Potsdam. Meanwhile, the AfD is receiving new applications for membership.
According to the party’s own statements, reports of a meeting with right-wing extremist activists in Potsdam, at which several AfD politicians were present, have not yet harmed the party’s membership development. Between January 10th and January 22nd, around 1,400 new applications for admission were received, a spokesman said upon request. In the same period there were resignations “in the mid double-digit range”.
The party has gained just over 1,000 new members since the beginning of the year and currently has around 41,000 members, said the spokesman. However, he pointed out that due to a one-month objection period, memberships completed in January resulted from applications for membership that had already been submitted in 2023.
The media company Correctiv reported on January 10th about a meeting of right-wing extremists on November 25th in Potsdam, in which some AfD politicians as well as individual members of the CDU and the very conservative Values Union took part. The former head of the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, said he spoke about “remigration” at the meeting. When right-wing extremists use the term, they usually mean that large numbers of people of foreign origin should leave the country – even under duress.
After the revelations, there were large demonstrations against right-wing extremism and for democracy in numerous cities. There was sometimes massive criticism of the AfD.
Source: Stern
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