A secret meeting between Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and neo-Nazi activists has sparked outrage and led to the largest protest movement in the country since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The meeting, which took place in November 2023, was revealed in an explosive report published by Correctiv, a research network. The report detailed a “master plan” for mass deportations if the AfD gained power. It named attendees from the AfD, neo-Nazis, and even members of the center-right party Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Germany’s far-right parties have been contained since the end of World War II, but the AfD has been gaining support, particularly in the eastern German states.
The Correctiv report has galvanized people across Germany, leading to widespread protests calling for the AfD to be banned. Over a million people have taken part in protests since the report’s release, with more planned for the coming weeks. The report has shed light on the true nature of the AfD and sparked a deeper understanding of the party and how to address them. However, it does not mean that the far-right has been completely dealt with in Germany.
Germany is a country with a significant migrant population, and public support for the AfD remains low. The ramifications of allowing an authoritarian party to gain power through an election, as happened in 1933, are still felt today. While there are concerns that banning the AfD may further victimize the party, there is also a recognition that action needs to be taken to address their anti-constitutional and ethnically discriminatory aims. The report has sparked a movement and brought attention to the need for a proper understanding of the AfD and how to counter their ideology.
