The German Bundestag’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party held a clandestine meeting with members of two neo-Nazi groups in a Swiss restaurant on December 14. The event was attended by AfD politicians Roger Beckamp and Lena Kotré, as well as members of the Swiss neo-Nazi group Junge Tat and the international neo-Nazi network Blood & Honour.
According to Correctiv, an investigative platform, the attendees had to provide a copy of their ID and participate in a video call to verify their political beliefs before being allowed to join the meeting. The event was held at a restaurant in the small town of Kloten, Switzerland, after the local authorities banned the meeting.
During the meeting, the topic of “remigration” was discussed, a concept popularized by far-right Austrian activist Martin Sellner, which refers to the mass deportation of foreigners and even German citizens with an immigrant background. The AfD has been accused of promoting anti-Semitic and xenophobic ideologies, and the party’s leaders have been linked to neo-Nazi groups.
The investigation by Correctiv also revealed that Junge Tat, one of the neo-Nazi groups that attended the meeting, has a history of promoting anti-Semitic and racist ideologies. The group’s leader, Manuel Corchia, has been linked to the US neo-Nazi group Eisenjugend, which was previously banned in the US.
The AfD has denied any wrongdoing, with Beckamp and Kotré claiming that they were simply discussing election issues and mocking Correctiv’s investigation. However, the scandal has added to the political fire surrounding the future of the AfD, with some 113 members of the Bundestag from various parties calling for the party to be banned.
The German election is set to take place on February 23, and the AfD is currently polling at around 18 percent. The party’s links to neo-Nazi groups and its promotion of anti-Semitic and xenophobic ideologies have sparked widespread outrage and calls for its ban.