EXTREMISMCould an Extremist Soon Head a German State Government?
Björn Höcke, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Thuringia, is aiming to take the reins in 2024. Analysts fear far-reaching consequences. Höcke has in the past marched alongside neo-Nazis. He criticized Germany’s efforts to atone for the Holocaust, saying that “These stupid politics of coming to grips with the past cripple us.” In the past five years, the AfD has become radicalized and is more aligned with Höcke’s extremist positions then the more moderate positions of other party leaders.
The revelation this month of secret plans by politicians from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and right-wing extremists to expel migrants has led an increasing number of political scientists and Holocaust survivors to suggest banning the party on the grounds that it has become radicalized.
After years in the opposition, AfD members themselves believe that the party is on the verge of a breakthrough. According to opinion polls, it is set for major success in local, state and European Parliament elections.
In eastern Germany, the party is well ahead of its opponents, polling at over 30%. AfD members have set their sights on the premiership of the small state of Thuringia in 2024.
The candidate they have in mind, Björn Höcke, is particularly radical.
Höcke, the chairman of the AfD parliamentary group in the state parliament, is a former high school teacher and has in the past marched alongside neo-Nazis.
In a letter in 2015, the AfD Executive Board accused Höcke of publishing writings under the pseudonym “Landolf Ladig” that were “extremely close to National Socialism.” Höcke denied that he had done so, but refused to sign an affidavit stating as much.
In 2017, the AfD tried to expel Höcke without success. The party’s Federal Executive Committee started expulsion proceedings against him following his controversial speech at a party event in Dresden where he criticized Germany’s remembrance of the Holocaust. He called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin a “monument of shame” and added: “These stupid politics of coming to grips with the past cripple us — we need nothing other than a 180-degree reversal on the politics of remembrance.” The Thuringian Court of Arbitration rejected the expulsion.
Since then, the party has become radicalized and is more aligned with Höcke’s positions. His supporters are shaping the party’s platform.
Ascendant German Right
Since the murderous rule of the National Socialists under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945, any ideological or symbolic invocation of Nazi values has been considered out of bounds in Germany. During the Nazi era, Germans murdered over six million Jews and were responsible for the deadliest conflict in world history, World War Two.
Today, numerous AfD figures have attracted attention for statements reminiscent of National Socialism. In 2019, a German court ruled that Björn Höcke can legally be described as a “fascist,” based on a “verifiable factual basis.”
