The AfD planned the convention on the 100th anniversary of the NSDAP congress. A wave of criticism
The date of the planned AfD convention in Erfurt was criticized by, among others, politicians of the ruling coalition – the Christian Democratic bloc CDU/CSU and the social democratic SPD.
Secretary of State at the German Foreign Ministry, Serap Gueler, said that “the consciously chosen analogy once again shows what the AfD is guided by.” — AfD knows perfectly well what it is doing, added the CDU politician.
When will the AfD convention be held?
Where is the AfD convention scheduled?
What comments appeared in connection with the AfD convention?
Who is the AfD spokesman in Thuringia?
A wave of criticism fell on the AfD. “Deliberate provocation”
Rolf Muetzenich, the former head of the SPD faction in the Bundestag, spoke in a similar tone. “AfD is once again using deliberate provocations to attract attention. The choice of this date is certainly not a historical coincidence. – he assessed.
According to Joerg Ganzenmueller, director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarianism. Hannah Arendt at the Technical University of Dresden, the AfD, on the one hand, sends a signal of solidarity towards far-right circles that know the history of the NSDAP well. — On the other hand, towards public opinion (AfD) maintains a bourgeois façade, feigning ignorance and downplaying historical significance [wyznaczonej daty zjazdu]thanks to which it remains attractive to other voters, he noted.
The party spokesman denies the allegations. He talks about “instrumentalization of history”
The allegations were rejected by AfD spokesman in Thuringia, Stefan Moeller. — Who sees the fatal similarities between the AfD convention in Erfurt and the NSDAP congress in Weimar from 100 years ago? he apparently obsessively instrumentalizes history – he said.
The RND website commented that “by organizing the convention exactly on the 100th anniversary of the historic congress of the Nazi Party in Thuringia, this group puts itself in line with the NSDAP.” “It's hard to believe it's a coincidence,” it said.
The AfD has had high support for a long time, reaching around 25 percent, and is sometimes the leader in polls, overtaking the CDU/CSU.
Not a random place?
The choice of the place of the convention may not be accidental either, because Thuringia is one of the states where the party enjoys particularly strong support. This includes: there, the AfD was recognized by the services as an extreme group.
One of the party's most radical politicians, Bjoern Hoecke, also comes from Thuringia. He became famous for his controversial statements regarding the memory of Nazism and German responsibility for World War II. He also used the slogan “Alles fuer Deutschland” (everything for Germany), which in the Third Reich was the slogan of the SA, a paramilitary organization of the NSDAP.
On July 3–4, 1926, the first all-German NSDAP congress was held in Weimar after the period of its delegation. At this meeting, among others: the Hitlerjugend youth wing was formally established, and Adolf Hitler strengthened his position as the undisputed leader of the party.
