Der Flügel
The self-designated group Der Flügel (English the wing) is an extreme nationalistic faction within the Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD). The main known leading figure of the Flügel is Björn Höcke. He[1] and Andreas Kalbitz are unofficial spokesman of the Flügel.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the Flügel in January 2019 as a suspected case for right-wing extremist aspirations (Verdachtsfall), since the "propagated policy concept was aimed at exclusion, contempt and far-reaching rights of foreigners, migrants, especially Muslims, and politically dissidents."[2]
History[edit]
Founding document of the "Flügel" is the "Erfurt Declaration" of 2015. The declaration explains the AfD as an "resistance movement against the further erosion of the identity of Germany".
The main event of Flügel is its annual "Kyffhäusertreffen". Henry Bernhard of DLF analysed an ongoing radicalization of the movement at this meeting. "Racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, historical revisionism, the relativization of the crimes of National Socialism became increasingly accepted positions there.", he wrote in 2019.[2]
Amplified to the AfD election results form federal election and some state election up from 2015, the Flügel wants to take over the AfD. Leading AfD politcians, like AfD-chairman Jörg Meuthen criticized Höcke's "personality cult", but not necessarly his far-right political positions.[3]
Important persons and influence[edit]
- Andreas Kalbitz, spokesman of AfD Regional Association Brandenburg, spokesman of Flügel
- Björn Höcke, spokesman of AfD Regional Association Thuringa, spokesman of Flügel
- Götz Kubitschek, a theoritist of Neue Rechte
- Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, activist of Neue Rechte with connections to IB, member of Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt for AfD
- Bundestag
AfD factions in Deutscher Bundestag consists of 92 parliamentarians. 22 of them are connected in different ways to Flügel.
- Jürgen Pohl, AfD member of Bundestag
- Franziska Gminder, AfD member of Bundestag (Baden-Württemberg)
- Marcus Bühl, AfD member of Bundestag (Thüringen)
- Siegbert Droese, AfD member of Bundestag (Saxonia)
- Stephan Brandner, AfD member of Bundestag (Thüringen)
- Lars Herrmann, AfD member of Bundestag (Saxonia)
- Steffen Kotré, AfD member of Bundestag (Brandenburg)
- Rainer Kraft (politician), AfD member of Bundestag (Bavaria)
- Volker Münz, AfD member of Bundestag (Baden-Württemberg)
- Martin Renner, AfD member of Bundestag (NRW)
- Ulrike Schielke-Ziesing, AfD member of Bundestag (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
- Uwe Schulz, AfD member of Bundestag (Hesse)
- Thomas Seitz, AfD member of Bundestag (Saxonia)
- Martin Sichert, AfD member of Bundestag (Bavaria)
- Marcus Frohnmaier, AfD member of Bundestag (Baden-Württemberg), former chairman of "Young Alternative"
- Tobias Peterka, AfD member of Bundestag (Bavaria)
References[edit]
- ^ "German far-right AfD overtakes Merkel's CDU in Thuringia". British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Der Unterschied zwischen "Flügel" und restlicher Partei". Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Nein zum "Personenkult": 100 AfD-Funktionäre proben Aufstand gegen Rechtsaußen Höcke". Die Zeit. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
| |||||
| |||||
