AfD leaders discuss possible dissolution of extremist wing
Leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party were on Friday discussing the possible dissolution of its Fluegel (Wing) group, after it was placed under surveillance by the country’s domestic intelligence agency.
Fluegel is the extremist wing of the AfD, led by Bjoern Hoecke, head of the party in the state of Thuringia.
The intelligence agency – known as the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution – had said last week that Fluegel opposes the free democratic basic order.
AfD sources told dpa that party leader Joerg Meuthen proposed on Friday during a federal executive committee meeting that Fluegel should dissolve by the end of the month.
The idea was generally well received, but the question of how and when this should take place was the subject of a controversial debate, the sources said.
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AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla reportedly suggested that the committee adopt a decision calling for Fluegel to issue a declaration at a meeting on Saturday indicating its readiness to “dismantle the existing structures, with a concrete timetable and action plan.”
Whether the committee will in fact take such a decision on Friday was unclear, the sources said.
AfD critics of Fluegel fear that the entire party could be classified as suspicious by the intelligence agency. They argue that since Fluegel does not have formal members, dissociating it from the rest of the party is difficult.
The dissolution of Fluegel would only be “window dressing,” said Stephan Thomae, a top lawmaker with Germany’s liberal Free Democratic Party. He argued that “the people behind Fluegel, their networks and their decisive influence over the whole party would remain unchanged.” (dpa)
