The German extreme right is torn internally

Text by: RFI Follow

Within the AfD, the conflict between a part of the management, anxious to keep a respectable façade and the radical wing, strong with some success, has further escalated with the exclusion of a figure from this movement.

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From our correspondent in Berlin,  Pascal Thibaut

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is at a crossroads. Once again, the party is shaken by deep internal quarrels. The challenge this time is to know if a “dediabolization” is possible by separating from the most radical wing. The party is under pressure.

Since March, this current has been under police surveillance because of its proximity to the neo-Nazi movement and extremist positions. This can damage the party's image, say those who want the AfD to one day rule with the right.

An inevitable split?

The movement's leadership decided on Friday May 15, by seven votes to five, to exclude one of the figures from this radical wing. Andreas Kalbitz is criticized for lying when he joined the AfD and for failing to mention his membership of a neo-Nazi group. Ironically, this form would have disappeared.

On the net and among party executives, the spirits have been heating up since Friday. The case will continue to stir. The most radical - 30 to 40% of the members according to estimates - are heavy and have won electoral successes . On arrival, they could try to take power, unless a split in the party was inevitable.

The AfD is also less audible with the coronavirus pandemic which brings its favorite theme, immigration, to the background. The party has shrunk in the polls and is now trying to rebound by supporting anti-corona protests.

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