Alternative for Germany

Party leader |  Tino Chrupalla and Jörg Meuthen
Parliamentary leader |  Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel
Founded |  2013
Headquarters |
Political ideology |  National conservatism
Political position |  Right-wing
International affiliation |
Color(s) |  blue
Website |  afd.de

The Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, abbreviated AfD) is a conservative German political party. It is most known for its Euroskeptic views.

Liberal critics falsely claim the party is somehow "far-right" or "neo-Nazi" due to its opposition to mass migration and globalism.[1][2] Because of these false claims, the party has been the victim of numerous "Antifa" riots and other left-wing violence,[1][3] though the German establishment attempted to blame violence on the AfD.[4] The establishment has even called for surveillance of the party because of its politically incorrect views,[5] and it has blocked the party's candidates from running in some elections.[6] On the other hand, the AfD became popular with the German military and police forces.[7]

Russian Germans, who were persecuted under Stalin and immigrated to Germany after 1991, comprise an important constituent base of the AfD. There are three million Russian Germans living in modern Germany. Many have encountered Russophobia living in the West, bigotry against their Orthodox faith, and refused permits to gather in large crowds to celebrate Victory Day over fascism.[8]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Views
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 Further reading
* 6 External links

## History[edit]

The AfD was founded in 2013 by economics professor Bernd Lucke.[9] Although the party was relatively conservative and Euroskeptic (it mainly opposed the Eurozone[10]), it was a neo-liberal party that attracted middle class opponents of the Eurozone.[9] The party made several gains during this time, with seven AfD members being elected to the European Parliament in 2014.[10]

A power struggle within the party soon broke out, with Lucke, who wanted the party to remain liberal with opposing the Euro, his liberal course being opposed by Frauke Petry and her conservative, right-wing faction that emphasized law and order, immigration, conservative social views, and criticism of Islam.[9] In the AfD party elections of July 2015, Petry won 68 percent of the vote, becoming the new leader of the party.[9] The liberal Lucke subsequently left the party and formed his own.[10] Additionally, five of the party's seven MEP's left the party.[10] The AfD quickly adopted Petry's conservative, right-wing populist agenda, and it continued its support for a referendum over leaving the Eurozone.[10][11] In October 2017, Petry left the AfD and founded the Blue Party, intended to promote a more moderate and establishment "conservatism."[12]

Under Petry's leadership, the AfD continued to grow dramatically, winning numerous seats in state parliaments.[11][13][14] The AfD formed an alliance with the Freedom Party of Austria in 2016 due to their shared Eurosceptic views.[15] Despite AfD's shift to the right under Petry, she supported making alliances with the establishment German parties with the aim of eventually forming a governing coalition with them, something which brought her under much criticism from others in her party. Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel were elected as AfD's top candidates for the 2017 general election instead of Petry, who chose not to run.[16]

While the AfD was unable to gain any seats in the German national parliament in the 2013 election, it gained many seats in the European Parliament in 2014. It first entered the Bundestag in the 2017 election after taking a historic third place with nearly 13% of the vote, while Angela Merkel's CDU received its worst result since 1949.[17] The AfD elected a greater proportion of immigrant MPs than Merkel's CDU.[18] After the CDU and SDP formed another grand coalition government,[19] the AfD became the official opposition party.[20] By the end of 2018, the AfD had entered every German state parliament,[21] becoming one of only two parties to do this.[22]

In 2018, polling found that the AfD had the second-highest level of public support of any German party,[23] and it became the largest party in eastern Germany.[24] It receives relatively strong support from blue-collar workers.[25] By 2018, the party had made a large impact on German politics,[26][27] and it built a strong social media presence.[28] The AfD performed particularly well in the regional elections in Saxony and Brandenburg, seeing its best-ever results in any German state.[29] Members of the CDU began cooperating with the AfD on the local level.[30] The AfD performed very well in the regional elections in Thuringia on October 27, 2019, performing better than Merkel's CDU.[31]

The AfD worked to gain influence in Germany's cultural institutions.[32]

## Views[edit]

The AfD is strongly Eurosceptic and opposes the centralization of the socialist and globalist European Union.[10] It supports leaving the EU if the socialistic organization does not reform and discontinue its centralization policies,[10][33] and it has criticized the European establishment for its handling of Brexit.[34] The party is similar in EU policy to other right-wing parties in Europe. Additionally, the AfD is pro-direct democracy and anti-establishment.[10] It supports free speech rights and strongly opposes censorship.[35]

AfD made world-wide news for billboards portraying Gérôme's The Slave Market[36]

The AfD strongly opposes Angela Merkel's reckless and leftist migration policy.[11][14] It does not believe Islam to be compatible with Western society.[11][37] However, the AfD accepts "Muslims who accept and embrace our liberal secular society" rather than "political Islam."[38] The party has connections to Pegida, which strongly opposes the Islamification of Europe,[9][13] and it has proposed bans on minarets, the Islamic call to prayer, and halal slaughter.[39]

The AfD strongly supports Israel.[40] It receives support from conservative German Jews,[41][42] and former Mossad officer Rafael Eitan, who led the operation to capture Adolf Eichmann, publicly praised the party[43] although he later explained that he regrets supporting the party.[44] It supported U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,[45] though it also supports Iran nuclear deal.[46] The AfD's deputy leader Beatrix von Storch has spoken highly of Israel[47] and has condemned anti-Semitism using rhetoric stronger than any other party.[42] The AfD has proposed banning Hezbollah in Germany.[48]

Critics of the AfD, who mainly comprise liberals and the establishment, claim the AfD is somehow overrun by "neo-Nazis" or "Nazi-sympathizers."[49] One example held by critics is a January 2017 speech made in Dresden by AfD member Björn Höcke, considered by many to be racist and pro-Holocaust. Many conservatives disagree, arguing that the content of Höcke's speech may have been poorly-worded, but it was patriotic and pro-German rather than Neo-Nazi. While some AfD members (including party leader Petry) condemned his speech and launched a party exclusion trial of Höcke, many other AfD members supported him and his speech, such as the AfD Saarland. Critics of the AfD also falsely label the party terms such as "far-right,"[1] despite its policies being conservative and supporting Christian values.[38]

The youth wing of the party, however, is more liberal than the party overall. For example, it advocated adopting climate change policies more in alignment with climate alarmists.[50]

## See also[edit]

* European migrant crisis

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jasper, William F. (October 2, 2017). Merkel Squeaks By: What Does It Portend for Germany, the U.S., the EU, and Globalism? The New American. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
2. ↑ Byas, Steve (August 30, 2019). Rising Tide Against Globalism Now Threatens Continued Rule of Germany by Angela Merkel. The New American. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
3. ↑ Multiple references:
* Tomlinson, Chris (January 5, 2019). German Populist Party Office Targeted By Bombing. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (January 8, 2019). German Populist Party Chairman Hospitalised in ‘Assassination’ Attempt. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
* Duke, Selwyn (January 9, 2019). Assassination Attempt? Conservative Leader Beaten and Left for Dead. The New American. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (February 2, 2019). ‘Assassination Guide’ Directed at German Populists Posted on Antifa-Linked Site. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (February 12, 2019). Berlin Antifa Assault Populist Jewish Youth at Holocaust Film Screening. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
See also:
* Tomlinson, Chris (January 9, 2019). German Populist Party MP Slams Leftist Parties For ‘Encouraging’ Violence. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
4. ↑ Far-right AfD shares blame for politician's killing, conservative leader says. Reuters. June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
5. ↑ Multiple references:
* Tomlinson, Chris (September 4, 2018). German Establishment Call for Domestic Intelligence to Spy on Populists Following Chemnitz Protests. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
* Shalal, Andrea (September 3, 2018). Pressure rises for surveillance of Germany's far-right AfD party. Reuters. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
* German spies to launch anti-extremism probe into far-right opposition. Reuters. January 15, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (January 17, 2019). German Government Puts Populist AfD Party Under Surveillance. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
See also:
* Tomlinson, Chris (January 24, 2019). German Intelligence Used Antifa ‘Research’ to Build Case Against Populists. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
6. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (August 18, 2019). Court: German Populists Can Only Field 30 Candidates in Regional Election. Breitbart News. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
7. ↑ Waterfield, Bruno (June 23, 2019). German army and police being ‘lost’ to far‑right parties. The Times. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
8. ↑ Russlanddeutsche - unsere fremden Nachbarn? | SWR Doku, Jul 13, 2022.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Zeronian, Sarkis (July 5, 2016). ‘Germany’s Farage’ Becomes Leader Of Eurosceptic Alternative For Germany Party. Breitbart. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 What does Alternative for Germany (AfD) want?. BBC. September 5, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Huggler, Justin (September 4, 2016). Germany's far-right AfD hands defeat to Angela Merkel's party in key regional vote. The Telegraph. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
12. ↑ Hale, Virginia (October13, 2017). Former Populist Leader Launches Party Appealing to ‘Moderate Conservatives’. Breitbart News. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 What is the Alternative for Germany?. DW. September 5, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Moulson, Geir (September 4, 2016). Anger over Merkel’s Syria refugee policy drives win for Alternative for Germany party. The Washington Times. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
15. ↑ Nationalist Austria-Germany summit held on Zugspitze summit. BBC. June 10, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
16. ↑ Germany’s Populist AfD Party Elects New Right Wing Leaders. Breitbart News. April 23, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
17. ↑ Multiple references:
* Tomlinson, Chris (September 25, 2017). Merkel’s Pyrrhic Victory: Worst Party Performance Since 1949 As Populist AfD Beat Expectations. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
* Dettmer, Jamie (September 25, 2017). Germany Shaken by Far-right Political Earthquake. Voice of America. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
* Dettmer, Jamie (September 25, 2017). Merkel Wins Historic Fourth Term But Far-right Populists Surge. Voice of America. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
* Ridgwell, Henry (September 25, 2017). German Far-right Pledges to 'Reclaim Country' as Merkel Begins Tough Coalition Talks. Voice of America. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
* Chazan, Guy (September 24, 2017). Nationalist AfD make historic breakthrough in German elections. Financial Times. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
18. ↑ Germany's far-right AfD has more immigrant MPs than Merkel's conservatives. Reuters. September 29, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
19. ↑ Multiple references:
* Merkel Welcomes German Govt Deal Handing Her 4th Term. Breitbart News. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
* Karnitschnig, Matthew (March 4, 2018). Germany gets new government. Politico. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
20. ↑ Oltermann, Philip (February 7, 2018). Germany's rightwing AfD gears up to play noisy opposition role. The Guardian. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
21. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/world/europe/germany-hesse-election-merkel.html
See also:
* Montgomery, Jack (October 28, 2018). Merkel and Allies Hammered in German Regional Election. Breitbart News. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
22. ↑ Europe Elects. Twitter. October 28, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
23. ↑ Multiple references:
* Anderson, Emma (February 19, 2018). AfD surpasses SPD for first time in German poll. Politico. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
* Deacon, Liam (February 19, 2018). Poll: Germany’s AfD Populists Second Most Popular Party for First Time. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
See also:
* Davis, Austin (February 20, 2018). Far-right Alternative for Germany rises as Merkel struggles for coalition. The Washington Times. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
* Williams, Thomas D. (June 25, 2018). Sunday Poll: German Populist AfD Party Hits Record High Popularity. Breitbart News. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
24. ↑ Multiple references:
* Tomlinson, Chris (September 8, 2018). Anti-Mass Migration Alternative for Germany Now Most Popular Party in East Germany. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
* Cat, Laura (September 7, 2018). Right-wing AfD party keeps growing and is now most popular in East Germany. Voice of Europe. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
25. ↑ Dörre, Klaus (April 17, 2018). Distant cousins: 'Trumpism' and Germany's right-wing labor movement. The Hill. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
26. ↑ How the Alternative for Germany Has Transformed the Country. Der Spiegel. September 21, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
27. ↑ Pasquet, Yannick (September 24, 2018). One year on, far right has transformed German politics. The Times of Israel. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
28. ↑ Grieshaber, Kirsten (May 18, 2019). German far-right rules digital campaign for Europe election. Associated Press. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
29. ↑ Multiple references:
* Byas, Steve (September 2, 2019). Alternative for Germany Party Receives Most Votes Ever in Saxony and Brandenburg. The New American. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
* Tomlinson, Chris (September 2, 2019). Populist AfD Sees Massive Gains in Eastern German Regional Elections. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
* Nasr, Joseph (September 1, 2019). Buoyed by state votes, Germany's AfD takes aim at Merkel coalition. Reuters. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
* Bhatti, Jabeen; Banaj, Eros (September 1, 2019). Germany's anti-immigrant party sees election surge against Angela Merkel's moderates. The Washington Times. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
See also:
* Rahn, Wesley; Knight, Ben (September 2, 2019). Germany: Berlin reacts to far-right surge in eastern elections. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
30. ↑ Schumacher, Elizabeth (September 11, 2019). CDU, AfD find common ground in 18 towns, report says. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
31. ↑ Multiple references:
* Tomlinson, Chris (October 28, 2019). German Populists Surpass Merkel Party in Regional Elections. Breitbart News. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
* Carrel, Paul; Hummel, Tassilo (October 26, 2019). Far-right AfD hurts Merkel's CDU in German state vote. Reuters. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
* Posander, Joshua (October 27, 2019). Far left and right outflank center in regional German vote. Politico. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
32. ↑ Apperly, Eliza (October 28, 2019). The Far Right Is Taking On Cultural Institutions. The Atlantic. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
33. ↑ Anderson, Emma (January 13, 2019). Germany’s far right AfD to campaign on possible EU exit. Politico. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
34. ↑ Delingpole, James (April 5, 2019). Delingpole: Rees-Mogg Is Right – the AfD Talks a Lot More Sense on Brexit than the BBC. Breitbart News. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
35. ↑ Williams, Thomas D. (January 2, 2019). Populist Leader Says German Censorship Law Is ‘Direct Attack on Freedom of Speech’. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
36. ↑ US museum condemns use of its art by German far-right party
37. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (April 19, 2016). AfD Under Fire: ‘We Are a Christian State, Islam is a Foreign Body… Euro-Islam Does Not Exist’. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Williams, Thomas D. (September 29, 2017). Exclusive Interview with German Populist AfD Leader Beatrix Von Storch. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
39. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (March 12, 2016). Germany’s AfD Announces Minaret, Call To Prayer, Halal Slaughter Ban Ahead Of Sunday’s Crucial Elections. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
40. ↑ Ahren, Raphael (September 24, 2017). Loathed by Jews, Germany’s far-right AfD loves the Jewish state. The Times of Israel. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
41. ↑ Multiple references:
* Ersen, Hakan (October 7, 2018). German far-right party draws backing from small group of Jews. Reuters. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
* Snyder, Don (October 27, 2018). Jewish members join German party accused of anti-Semitism because they are taking on Islamization of country. Fox News. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
* Deacon, Liam (September 28, 2018). Jewish AfD Members Launch Jewish Group Within Populist German Party. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
* Arfa, Orit. Jewish supporters of Germany’s far-right AfD see party as means to counter anti-Semitism. Blitz. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Byas, Steve (January 1, 2019). Right-wing European Parties Seek Jewish Support. The New American. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
43. ↑ Helmhold, Juliane (February 4, 2018). Former Mossad Agent Praises German Nationalist Ultra-Right Party AfD. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
44. ↑ (February 4, 2018) Ex-Mossad Agent Regrets Backing Far-right German Party With Nazi Roots. Haaretz. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
45. ↑ Ahren, Raphael (April 17, 2018). German far-right MP pushes recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Times of Israel. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
46. ↑ Chase, Jefferson (May 8, 2018). Iran nuclear deal: Germany's special role and plans. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
47. ↑ Williams, Thomas D. (September 28, 2017). German Populist Beatrix Von Storch Says ‘Israel Could Be a Role Model for Germany’. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
48. ↑ Tomlinson, Chris (June 5, 2019). German Populists Propose Hezbollah Ban. Breitbart News. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
49. ↑ AfD lawmakers walk out on Holocaust survivor's speech in Bavaria. Reuters. January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
50. ↑ Nasr, Joseph (May 29, 2019). Save coal, lose youth vote? Far-right German party faces climate policy revolt. Reuters. Retrieved May 29, 2019.

## Further reading[edit]

* Williams, Thomas D. (September 29, 2017). Exclusive Interview with German Populist AfD Leader Beatrix Von Storch. Breitbart News.

## External links[edit]

* Official party website