AfD party conference in Kalkar: Meuthen does not see a "Corona dictatorship"

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The AfD chairman Jörg Meuthen has called on the members of his party to clearly distance themselves from rioters and provocateurs in their own ranks.

With a view to the brazen visitors in the Bundestag invited by AfD members, he warned on Saturday at the federal party conference in Kalkar: "We will not achieve more success by appearing more and more aggressive, more and more coarse, more and more uninhibited." AfD voters acted as a deterrent, saying it was wrong to show solidarity with party members who “fell into the role of provocateurs”.

The policy of the federal government in the corona pandemic and the course of Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) are not appropriate "and certainly not proportionate".

This should also be criticized with clear words.

"But is it really wise to speak of a 'Corona dictatorship'?" Meuthen asked the more than 500 delegates in the hall.

"We do not live in a dictatorship, otherwise we would hardly be able to hold this party congress today," he added.

The two-day party conference began on Saturday, accompanied by small protests.

Among other things, the delegates want to adopt a pension concept.

In addition, the party has found a new topic with its fundamental criticism of the state anti-corona measures.

In his opening speech, AfD chairman Tino Chrupalla criticized the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).

He accused her of pursuing a "pure bankruptcy policy".

Existences would be destroyed, the bankruptcy wave is already rolling, the pandemic course will cost many people their jobs.

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Chrupalla defended that the AfD is holding a presence party conference in the corona pandemic.

Such events are indispensable in democracy, he said.

"If we let a virus put us in our place, democracy has already lost." At the same time, Chrupalla appealed to the delegates to adhere to the hygiene concept.

"Wear your masks, keep your distance," he said.

The delegates should “not damage the party congress by careless behavior”.

The event was announced as a social party conference.

Because in addition to a concept for a pension system, it should also be about the question of how the AfD stands on the basic income.

One amendment provides, for example, that German nationals who live in Germany should receive a monthly basic income of 500 euros, while foreigners should continue to receive social benefits only after a means test.

The police reported a peaceful demonstration

Around 500 AfD opponents demonstrated against the party congress in Kalkar.

The alliance had called for the rally to “stand up against racism”, and members of the Bundestag from almost all parties spoke up at the rally.

The police reported in the morning that the event was peaceful.

For demonstrators as well as for the delegates there is a mask requirement everywhere.

The public order office had announced that it would also check in the hall whether the officially approved hygiene concept was being implemented for the event.

The city of Kalkar has announced that it will otherwise cancel the party conference.

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According to a spokesperson, delegates who are exempt from the mask requirement due to a medical certificate can easily be identified.

A photo by the Reuters news agency showed several employees of the public order office during a check in the hall on Saturday morning.

A lawsuit by the AfD against the requirement to wear mouth and nose protection at the seat was unsuccessful.

Employee of the regulatory office in the hall in Kalkar

Source: REUTERS

At the party congress, two posts in the federal executive committee also have to be filled.

Long-time treasurer Klaus Fohrmann resigned in January.

The member of the board of directors of the AfD, Andreas Kalbitz, was denied membership in May because he was said to have concealed his membership in the right-wing extremist home-loyal German youth (HDJ) and the republicans.

The by-elections are scheduled for Sunday.

Birgit Bessin from Brandenburg and the European parliamentarian Maximilian Krah from Saxony were recently traded as possible candidates.

Carsten Hütter, who was deputy treasurer before Fohrmann's resignation and is currently provisionally responsible for the party's finances, wants to take over this task permanently.

"AfD on the way to further radicalization"

Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) sees the AfD on the way to radicalization. “The blunt anti-Semitism of Björn Höcke, who was re-elected as the Thuringian state chairman, the racist sentiments of many AfD supporters, who with some members have an extended arm in parliament, the solidarity with extremists on the street, who make our state and its organs contemptible and also before Do not shy away from criminal acts, breaking taboos in the Bundestag - I am convinced that the AfD is on the way to further radicalization, ”said Herrmann to the editorial network Germany (RND) and pleaded for a corresponding reaction by the protection of the constitution.