AfD leader Shrubala distances himself from far-right meetings

AfD leader Tino Shruppala criticizes the secret meeting in Potsdam. He considers the call of right-wing extremist Martin Sellner wrong.

Nina Jerzy/T Online

The AfD and parliamentary group leader Tino Shruppala publicly distances itself from the meeting between party friends and right-wing extremists in Potsdam. “If my employee had asked me if he should go there, I would have said clearly: Don’t go there,” he said Tuesday evening on the Meisberger channel.

When asked by the moderator, he explained: “Because, for example, I am fundamentally critical of Mr. Sellner's invitation and participation – of course.” However, he had confirmed shortly before: “I don't know Mr. Sellner.”

These are the guests of “Maischberger”:

What exactly Chrupalla means by this sentence was not made clear on the ARD talk show. Because he was apparently familiar with the ideology of the former leader of the Identity movement in Austria. “What he says programmatically – especially as an Austrian – is not compatible with our programme,” the AfD co-chair said.

Chrupalla criticizes the “Tagesschau” report.

Sellner is said to have spoken about “immigration” (the bad word of the year) at the meeting, to which CDU members and business leaders were also invited. Right-wing extremists also mean the expulsion of German citizens with foreign roots. In this context, Shrubala was offended by the use of the term “deportations” in Maischberger.

“This word was not mentioned once (by) the participants I spoke to there. “I think this is a bit of a lie from the Tagesschau that they are equating this meeting with deportations,” said Shrubala, referring to the previous day's edition of the ARD news program. “What do you call it when people talk about taking millions of people out of this country?” the moderator asked.

“I'll take your word for it now,” Meichberger summed up shortly after. “They say: German citizens stay in Germany. There is no if and but. And whoever says otherwise has no place in the Alternative for Germany party?” Shrubala: “Absolutely. “Our hypothesis is the basic law.” “I would never support that,” he said elsewhere of deportations of German citizens.

It seemed similar when Meisberger confronted him with old statements from party friends about Germans of Turkish origin, such as journalist Deniz Yuzel or Social Democratic Party politician Aydan Ozoguz. “He is of course German, a German citizen. “No doubt,” Shrubala said of Yocel. But, he added, “If he has two nationalities, he should choose one.”

“These are Stasi methods.”

Despite his criticism of the Potsdam meeting, Shrubala tried to portray it as a private meeting. Accordingly, he strongly criticized the investigative work done by Correctiv's research editorial team, making the meeting public. “These are Stasi methods,” the Saxon repeated the accusations of its co-chair Alice Weidel.

But why did Weidel break up with her employee because he was present at the meeting, if the matter was private? “In this case that was not the case,” said Shrubala, referring to Weidel’s former employee. “But there were ordinary people, and you have to differentiate between that.”

Maischberger also invited right-wing extremism expert Olaf Sondermeier of the RBB to the group along with Chrupalla. He described the Alternative for Germany party as “the parliamentary arm of the far-right movement as a whole.” Representatives of the Identity Movement work as staff members of the state parliaments or the Bundestag. The AfD's federal executive board has officially distanced itself from the far-right movement.

According to Correctiv, this right-wing staffer of the AfD politician was said to be there in Potsdam. “Every member of the Bundestag can hire whoever they want,” said Shrubala. But he spoke to his party colleague: “I don’t think it’s okay. I will not hire him.” On the other hand, Shrubala accused the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of not revealing why the Alternative for Germany party in the state of Saxony, for example, was classified as “definitely an extreme right-wing party.” “Is it perhaps me? Are you perhaps sitting here?” With a right-wing extremist? He asked the group.

Ozdemir warns of “Putin-like situations”

Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir (Alliance 90/Greens) had previously told the “Meichberger” program that “the AfD is destroying this country,” and warned of “Putin-like conditions” under the AfD.

On the talk show, Ozdemir did not back down from his criticism of his driving at a traffic light. “The mistake is: a decision was made here without talking to the people first,” he said of cuts, for example, in agricultural diesel for farmers, which continue to lead to mass protests. At this point, the moderator wondered why the federal government was cutting state aid in Germany, while in Latin America, for example, it subsidizes local public transport with a lot of money.

The moderator asks a character question

Ozdemir then revealed gaps in his knowledge. The minister was sure: “I think it is about a few thousand euros.” “A few hundred million euros in total,” Meichberger had to correct him. $106 million has been spent on climate-friendly public transport in Latin America alone – “it's not a little.”

“It won't help anyone if we do everything great here, but everything goes wrong in the rest of the world,” Oezdemir tried to put things in motion. No matter how little “great” the situation in this country may seem at the moment: very different times may dawn under the AfD, Ozdemir warned. If Shrubala had his way, there would be no minimum wage, no subsidies for agriculture, no more crises around the world, and therefore more refugees.

The AfD leader also defended himself against criticism from FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann in “Maischberger.” The issue came up again when Meisberger commented on the verbal outburst launched by Alexander Gauland, the AfD's top candidate in the federal elections. “What's inside you can only slide out,” the moderator asked the character's question. “That's a lot of nonsense with Mrs. Strack Zimmerman,” said Shrubala.

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