Friday 19, January
Berlin House of Representatives protest speech by AfD leader
The protest started as Kristin Brinker, state chair of the Berlin AfD, took to the podium to begin her speech. Politicians from the SPD, Greens, The Left party and the CDU spontaneously got up and left the hall, leaving only the speaker’s fellow AfD politicians remaining.
The background to this demonstration of opposition was the highly controversial secret meeting last November, revealed through reporting by Correctiv, in which far-right groups and wealthy donors met to discuss plans for the mass deportations of foreigners from Germany, in the event of the AfD taking political office. On Wednesday, however, it emerged that Brinker was present at another meeting between radical right-wing extremists which took place at the apartment of the former CDU finance senator Peter Kurth. Right-wing extremist Martin Sellner, who laid out the deportation plans at the Potsdam meeting, was also present.
Talking about the decision not to listen to the speech, Green Party leader Bettina Jarasch commented that it would be wrong to “listen to AfD denials” despite “evidence of right-wing extremist activities”. This sentiment was echoed by CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Stettner: “I don’t listen to right-wing radical relativising and lying”.
There is another anti-AfD demonstration planned in Berlin this Sunday at 4pm.
