Thread: The German right-wing AfD party has a tailwind

The German right-wing AfD party has a tailwind: Now the party's leader wants to put Germany's EU membership to a vote


The Alternative for Germany has a tailwind in the opinion polls. They will use this to make significant changes.







Alice Weidel has been at the helm of the AfD since 2017. In a major interview with the Financial Times, she now advocates putting Germany's EU membership to a vote. (Photo: © Michele Tantussi, Ritzau Scanpix)

Thomas Jorsal

Britain's farewell to the EU was "absolutely right" and "such sovereign decisions should serve as inspiration in Germany".

These are the words of AfD leader Alice Weidel in a major interview with the Financial Times.

She explains, however, that the German right-wing party will initially try to reform the EU if they come to power.

But if reforms are not possible, if we do not succeed in rebuilding the sovereignty of the member states, then we must let the people decide, just as the British did.

We could have a "Dexit" referendum – a German exit from the EU.

The AfD is currently gaining traction in the opinion polls, where they have support of over 20 percent of voters.







Here Alice Weidel is seen with Tino Chrupalla (bottom left, ed.), with whom she shares the leadership post in the AfD. Here it is for a debate in the Bundestag following the revelations of the meeting about possible mass deportations. The party has been heavily attacked following the revelations, and the debate the other day was called "defending democracy against its enemies and plans for mass deportations". (Photo: © KAY NIETFELD, Kay Nietfeld/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)


Strong German EU support

It is one thing to put Germany's EU membership to the vote. It is quite another to get the Germans to vote to leave the EU.

For while there is a relatively strong desire among AfD voters to leave EU cooperation, the situation is quite different when you look at the entire German population.

Some nine out of ten Germans want Germany to remain a member of the EU. Among AfD voters, almost half want Germany to leave the EU.

This is shown by a study by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation.

It is worth noting that elections to the European Parliament will take place in June.

Nationwide demonstrations


In recent weeks, the AfD has faced headwinds, with massive demonstrations against them.

They have taken place in the wake of German media outlet Correctiv's revelations about a meeting of the German right wing at the end of 2023. Among other things, the media reported that at the meeting there was talk of mass deporting "unwanted" citizens in their millions.


Several key figures from the AfD participated. Among others, Roland Hartwig, who sits in the Bundestag for the AfD, and has served as a strategic advisor to Alice Weidel. However, she has broken off cooperation after the revelation.

Weidel has since also lashed out at Correctiv's methods, which she calls "outrageous." The investigative media had a reporter undercover for the right-wing meeting.

The revelation of the meeting and its contents has re-ignited the debate over whether the AfD should actually be banned for being extremist.

The party is already being monitored by German intelligence. Its branches in the three Länder of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia have even been declared extremist by the German security authorities.

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AfD is polling near the 20% in Germany

They are now a threat.
In the eyes of some, to democracy.

And certainly a threat to the "old" parties and maybe the establishment.

And there are talks of ...banning them ??????

Now there's a threat to democracy !


The reason why I post it, is:

Don't you find it peculiar that very few asks ...why...why have they reached the 20 % mark ?

There's no reflection from the elite..ever. The media...forget it

What say you ?

If the left and the moderates put up better candidates they wouldn't have this problem. The knee jerk voters won't find solace in the AfD, but they'll still vote for them out of spite. Populism is a reaction, not a solution.

Originally Posted by helge

We could have a "Dexit" referendum – a German exit from the EU.

This has been bounded around since before Brexit, but has never really gained popularity.

However, the German Government has gone well beyond the EU legislation with working rules and brought in far too many migrants to allow easy integration into society. The AfD has grown largely because of the latter but too many 'nanny state' rules have upset many.

In short, like the UK, the problems are not caused by the EU, but by the Government.

Nationalism is still on the rise everywhere and that is the biggest danger signal.

Originally Posted by pickel

If the left and the moderates put up better candidates they wouldn't have this problem.

Maybe adjust some policies.

Yes, some might have come to the point where they vote out of spite. I get that, but most want to get on with their life.

A good life

You could transfer US politics over here

Same, isn't it ?

Where's the analyses?

Only thing I hear is ridicule, demonization from both sides, etc

= polarisation

Will happen in Germany too if they start banning parties they don't like


Germans are good at that

Originally Posted by Troy

Nationalism is still on the rise everywhere and that is the biggest danger signal.

That's the populistic part. Dissatisfaction is the seed, upper echelon ignorance is the fertilizer.

But ...yes

(I should have deleted the ..Brexit part; will muddy the waters )

France is divided also.


Tens of thousands of people marched in the streets of cities across France on Sunday to call on President Emmanuel Macron not to sign into law tough new legislation on immigration that they say bears the footprint of the far right and betrays French values.

Tens of thousands of protesters across France call on Macron not to sign immigration law

Originally Posted by Switch

The French are completely different. They don’t have democracy, just insular and parochial bureaucracy.

They also don't need much incentive to protest, and racist harpies like Marine Le Pen are quick to exploit it.