The State Association of Young Liberals (July) has sharply criticized the connections between Hessian FDP politicians and the right-wing networker and political advisor Thomas Rohrböck.

In an application to the July State Congress, which is to take place on October 30th and 31st in Hünfeld, "open and honest clarification" and a clear demarcation of the parent party from the right are called for.

What is needed is a “comprehensive declaration of honor” from all party officials and elected officials who have fallen into disrepute.

Those who have not yet done so would have to do so quickly.

Ralf Euler

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung, responsible for the Rhein-Main section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

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Before the federal election, "numerous entanglements" - in terms of content, personnel and finance - were made known by leaders of the Hessian Free Democrats in right-wing extremist networks, the youth organization complains.

The state party did not do enough to clear up these connections.

In the case of such serious allegations, mere damage limitation is not sufficient. 

According to a report by the magazine Die Zeit, Rohrböck has tried for years on behalf of an influential German billionaire to strengthen right-wing parties in Germany and individual legal interpreters in other parties.

Rohrböck has therefore infiltrated the AfD since it was founded in 2013 and exerted influence on more than 30 elected representatives of the party.

Research seems to show that Rohrböck gave political recommendations to some AfD politicians and initiated strategic maneuvers in talks and chats. 

Four politicians in sight

The July motion is aimed - without their names being mentioned - at the FDP parliamentary group leader in the state parliament, René Rock, the FDP state chairwoman and member of the Bundestag Bettina Stark-Watzinger, the state parliament member Oliver Stirböck and the Hessian member of the Bundestag Katja Adler. Rohrböck, who comes from Seligenstadt, is said to have had business contacts there with today's parliamentary group leader, Rock. Rock assures, however, that he ended these connections around two decades ago.

Stark-Watzinger met Rohrböck in Salzburg last year.

According to her own statements, she gave a lecture there on financial issues and did not know beforehand that representatives of the AfD would also be present.

The politician emphasizes that she had no contact with Rohrböck either before or after the event.

The member of the state parliament, Stirböck, allowed himself to be invited by Rohrböck to an “economic meeting” and an overnight stay in Austria at the beginning of 2019.

The newly elected FDP member of the Bundestag, Adler, was in turn supported by Rohrböck in the election campaign, and she was also the author of one of his Internet portals.

"Clear distancing required"

The FDP regional association points out that Stark-Watzinger clearly distanced himself from Rohrböck and his ideas.

In addition, the FDP State Presidium had formulated the expectation that other party members who had or were still connected with Rohrböck “in a misleading way” would “clearly distance themselves from him and his ideas”. 

About 20 young liberals, including the state chairman Niklas Hannott, have signed the application for the July national congress.

They are calling for an independent commission to investigate the allegations and a code of conduct, a compliance guideline and regular seminars.

This should prevent even individual party members from approaching right-wing structures and consciously adopting right-wing populist rhetoric.