(German) Domestic Intelligence Report Highlights AfD Extremism

[steve2470]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-intelligence-report-highlights-afd-extremism-a-1249150.html

January 23, 2019 11:54 AM

When Andreas Kalbitz was elected to represent the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Brandenburg state parliament, he immediately signed a membership application for the "German Parliamentary Society." The venerable club, founded in 1951, is located right next to the Reichstag building in Berlin and is open to all state and federal representatives. Kalbitz enjoys eating lunch in the "PG's" restaurant, where waiters in white livery know that he likes his white wine with extra ice cubes. Sometimes Kalbitz will retire to one of the club's plush salons for private conversations or spend his evenings at the bar in the basement. "Here is a refined parliamentary culture in the style of British clubs," raves Kalbitz, a former paratrooper.

But if you believe Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Kalbitz has no business belonging to a club that, in its own words, strives to promote a culture of "parliamentary collegiality." Kalbitz is suspected of posing a threat to the country's liberal democratic constitution. Just a few days ago, the BfV announced it was looking into initiating surveillance of the party's youth organization, the "Young Alternative." Meanwhile, the agency views the party's ultra-conservative faction, known as "The Wing," with an even greater degree of suspicion.

DER SPIEGEL has obtained a BfV report of more than 400 pages in which the agency does not condemn the AfD as a whole. But its focus on "The Wing" and its leader, Björn Höcke, is a tough blow to the far-right camp. The BfV closely analyzed the "ethno-nationalist ideology" of Höcke, Kalbitz and their like-minded colleagues. The report also makes clear that the intelligence service has run out of patience with AfD leaders Jörg Meuthen and Alexander Gauland's strategy of shirking responsible for the radicals in their party.

Kalbitz himself is a master of ambiguous communication. When he's not out in the marketplaces and taverns, instead finding himself in more dignified surroundings like the parliamentary society, the 46-year-old's tone is much milder. He recently offered a bottle of Crémant to anyone who could find even a single instance of hate speech against Muslims in any of his press releases. He doesn't seem terribly perturbed by the fact that his power base has fallen into the intelligence service's crosshairs. "OK, so I won't be able to live out my subversion fantasies on the phone anymore," he jokes.


Even though this is a few months old, I thought it was important.

[DFW]

1. The AfD loves pointing to its most extreme members and saying, "oh, he doesn't speak for us."

Last edited Fri Mar 22, 2019, 04:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Sort of like Mitch McConnell pulling his head inside his turtle shell every time Trump says something he'd rather not identify with. The fact is that, like the most extreme members of the Republican Party like Steve King, the extremists DO speak for the masses. The masses just find it convenient to remain silent while coming out with the "oh, well, that's not me" line. The fact that these extremists are being not-so-secretly encouraged by Trump's neo-Nazi ambassador to Germany has, of course, only emboldened them. Were they under the impression that the US was monitoring them and held them in a negative light, they would act far less openly.

[Karadeniz]

2. Thank you for your analysis. ❤

[steve2470]

3. thanks for your insights, my friend

I'm glad the authorities are watching them carefully.

[DFW]

4. Like a hawk

The AfD is just as aware of the anti-Nazi laws as anyone in Germany, and their lawyers are working overtime to make sure they don't go over the line. I'm sure they aren't always successful, so their book of denial phrases is probably always updated.

The AfD was probably thrilled at first to hear Trump was sending an ambassador so sympathetic to their views. They probably were less enthusiastic when they found out the guy was almost as much of a cretin as Trump himself (and gay to boot), and not anyone they could work with in confidence.

[ck4829]

5. K&R