【By Observer Net, Ruan Jiaqi】

According to "Politico" on the 14th, U.S. House Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna revealed that dozens of politicians from Germany's far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) will visit Washington in December, at the invitation of House Republicans.

U.S. media reports point out that this trip is an important move by the party to seek support from the Trump-aligned Republicans. They describe their situation as a struggle against "political persecution and speech censorship at home." Since Trump took office, the MAGA movement in the United States, which shares his stance on anti-immigration and ideology, has repeatedly publicly supported the party.

Luna, as a core supporter, said in an interview with the German newspaper "Die Welt" that "We will welcome 40 members from the AfD in Germany, and not only me, but other U.S. congressmen will also participate."

However, this statement has not been officially confirmed by the AfD. The party's spokesperson responded that they "cannot confirm or deny" the number of members going to the U.S., while the spokesperson for the AfD parliamentary group said that the actual number of parliamentarians going to Washington "will not be that high."

On September 14, the first largest state in Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, held a local election. The AfD's vote share increased nearly threefold compared to five years ago, becoming the third-largest party.

The AfD has recently risen to become a major opposition party in Germany, even rivaling the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in election polls. In the February 2023 federal parliamentary election, the party ranked second with about 20.8 percent of the vote.

Despite increasing influence, the party is regarded as far-right in the German political spectrum and has long been excluded by the mainstream political establishment. In May this year, the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution officially classified it as a "far-right organization." According to German law, this will grant the government greater powers to monitor the party's activities, including financial investigations and communication surveillance, but it does not automatically lead to legal sanctions or the banning of the party.

This classification immediately triggered a strong reaction from the Trump camp: Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio spoke out one after another, criticizing Germany for "tyranny"; the German Foreign Ministry strongly refuted it, saying "this is democracy."

Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, leaders of the AfD, also condemned the classification as "politically motivated," a serious blow to the German system, and vowed to respond through legal channels. Chrupalla also questioned whether the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution provided any reasonable evidence to support its conclusion.

According to interviews with the German newspaper "Die Welt," Luna stated that at the end of last month, she posted on social media X, inviting Weidel to visit the U.S. She accepted enthusiastically and expressed willingness to discuss subsequent arrangements.

Other than this visit, she also plans to hold a larger conference in February next year. According to her, this conference "will counter the Davos Forum" and focus more on the issue of "national sovereignty."

Luna also mentioned that she is currently helping German far-right figures Naomi Seibt apply for asylum in the U.S. Seibt is a supporter of the AfD, and she claims to have been "closely monitored and harassed" by the government and intelligence agencies because of her political views. When Musk was in charge of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, he had also publicly supported her.

Elon Musk's tweet supporting Naomi Seibt

"I think she (Seibt) is an outstanding young woman, and no matter what she decides to do in the future, it will be full of hope. We will fully support her," Luna told "Die Welt," adding that she would help many people like Seibt, "I sincerely hope this can at least lead to an open dialogue about how the German government, especially politicians and law enforcement, treats citizens who have different opinions from themselves."

Luna also used the opportunity to teach European countries how to act, saying, "EU countries should respect members who hold more conservative, more nationalist positions domestically. But I found that not only in Germany, but also in the UK and Romania, there are such situations: those who firmly defend national interests, especially on immigration issues, are labeled as 'Nazi,' 'pro-Russian' or 'fascist'."

When German media questioned her why she was so determined to advocate for "free speech" in Germany, Luna defended herself by stating that she had the ability to provide help. She also mentioned that her friend Charlie Kirk died because of "speaking the truth," and since then, she told herself: "If I can do something, I will definitely do it."

However, the facts are quite ironic. Kirk's death had nothing to do with "speaking the truth," and the series of "suppression actions" launched by the Republicans based on Kirk's death directly contradicted their proclaimed stance.

On September 10, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a campus speech, aged 31. U.S. President Trump ordered the entire country to lower the flag in mourning, and the Republican camp accused Democrats of "inciting political violence."

Subsequently, American society fell into severe division, with multiple people being fired or suspended for making "improper" comments criticizing Kirk. The popular U.S. talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (also known as "The Chicken Show") was even suspended indefinitely for joking about "Kirk's death." Trump applauded, and also threatened to revoke the licenses of TV stations that criticized him excessively.

This dispute eventually led to tension within the Republican Party itself. Trump's close ally, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, openly criticized, calling Trump's government's threats of fines and license revocation against broadcasters akin to "Mafia."

The British media "Financial Times" at the time cited analysts who pointed out that the Trump administration's crackdown on criticism of so-called "enemies" was a replay of McCarthyism in the 1950s.

"I think (Trump) is creating a 'chilling effect,' suppressing dissent," said Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the Law School at the University of California, Berkeley, and an American constitutional expert. He added that Trump "has been targeting colleges, media, and law firms."

More importantly, unlike Trump's first term, when few senior officials in his government actively pushed his agenda, now, many of Trump's verbal attacks have been implemented.

"In the McCarthy era, we have never seen a situation where the president of the United States uses the government's great power to retaliate and punish, "he lamented, "we have never seen such a situation before."

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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