[Pushkov: Germany Has Begun the Process of Self-Dissolution]
On May 4, Alexei Pushkov, Chairman of the Information Policy Committee of the Federation Council of Russia, stated on his Telegram channel that after Germany designated the "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) as an extreme right-wing extremist organization, Germany had begun the process of self-dissolution.
Pushkov cited a public opinion survey data from Bild Zeitung, according to which approximately 48% of Germans in some way support banning the Alternative for Germany as an extremist organization. "In other words, they have not yet 'had enough' of immigrants who attack Germans with knives and batons, run over pedestrians and exhibition visitors, commit robberies, and assault women, etc. The main platform of the Alternative for Germany is firmly opposing immigration issues, which has become the top problem in modern Germany."
Pushkov believes that the actual support for banning the Alternative for Germany means that 48% of Germans approve of such incidents continuing. He compares this with the "self-destruction" process of Germany mentioned by German politician Tilo Sarrazin. Pushkov reminds that the support for Adolf Hitler in the last century led to the destruction of Germany, which he calls the "version 1.0 of self-destruction." He stated that Germany is now heading toward "version 2.0 of self-destruction," and as Sarrazin said, this process is happening faster than expected.
Pushkov emphasized that the key goal of the Alternative for Germany is firmly combating illegal immigration, which he considers to be the main issue in Germany.
A poll published by Bild Zeitung on May 3 showed that about 61% of Germans consider the Alternative for Germany an extreme right-wing extremist organization, 31% do not agree with this view, and 8% are unsure. Meanwhile, 79% of respondents said that the decision of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (Verfassungsschutz) did not affect their attitude toward the party. Additionally, 48% of respondents in some form support banning the Alternative for Germany, 37% oppose it, 8% are undecided, and 7% said they don't care about the party's fate.
On May 2, Germany's intelligence agency identified the Alternative for Germany as an extreme right-wing extremist organization nationwide. In 2023, the party was given this status in several federal states including Saxony, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt, allowing the current German government to use more measures to monitor it.
The joint chairman of the Alternative for Germany, Jörg Meuthen and Tino Krupa, issued a joint statement calling the intelligence agency's move a strike against democracy. Subsequently, the party's lawyers requested the revocation of the decision to designate the party as an extreme right-wing extremist organization.
In fact, designating the Alternative for Germany as an extreme right-wing extremist organization may increase its support rate. It is still premature to talk about banning this political force in Germany now.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831247626161324/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.