Monday

27th Mar 2023

Germany's AfD divided by Le Pen meeting

  • AfD co-chair Frauke Petry (l) is facing criticism from party colleagues after she rushed into a meeting with French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

A planned meeting of European far-right parties has created cracks within Germany's anti-system party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Leading AfD figures have openly criticised co-chief Frauke Petry, who said she would appear alongside French far-right leader Marine Le Pen at a gathering later this month.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The meeting is paid for by the European Parliament's Europe of Nations and Freedoms (ENF) group and will take place in the German city of Koblenz on 21 January.

It is planned as a "European counter-summit", Le Pen's spokesman Ludovic de Danne told Le Figaro, to help far-right parties spread anti-EU messages before elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

"It was important to launch the political season in Germany, in the country of Angela Merkel that we consider largely responsible for the problems of the EU. We want to show that these two women of courage share the same analyses," de Danne added.

"At the rate at which things are progressing today, it is not entirely illusory to think that such a display of Marine Le Pen with Frauke Petry can illustrate a new vision of the Franco-German couple."

The German co-chair, who is fluent in French, recently met Le Pen for the first time in Brussels.

But Georg Pazderski, chairman of AfD's Berlin branch, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily: "I find that the National Front does not suit us at all. The FN is a socialist party. Personally I have reservations."

AfD is anti-euro, but with free-market views.

AfD co-founder and leader of the Brandenburg division, Alexander Gauland, said Petry publicly announced her intention to join in on the meeting before giving party top ranks a chance to comment.

Petry confirmed her participation through Twitter on Monday evening, just hours after she asked party board members by email whether they had objections to the meeting.

Gauland called it a "rather strange approach" and said she should have waited at least a day "out of courtesy".

Koblenz will also host Geert Wilders from the Dutch Party for Freedom, as well as EFN MEPs such as Matteo Salvini from Italy's Northern League, and former Ukip member Janice Atkinson.

Laurentiu Rebega, an independent Romanian MEP and ENF candidate for the post of president of the European Parliament, will also attend.

Rebega also raised eyebrows on Wednesday when he argued that the EFN group does not want to "finish with the EU", in a presidential debate organised by Politico.

He also said the group had "agreed to disagree" on whether Romanians should be allowed to join the Schengen area.

Le Pen has argued against such an extension, while Rebega is in favour.

Far-right groups pledge allegiance ahead of elections

Far-right leaders Le Pen, Wilders, Petry and others gathered in Koblenz in the hope of gaining political momentum ahead of national elections this year. The event was met with thousands of protestors.

Marine Le Pen spotted at Trump Tower

Marine Le Pen reportedly did not meet with anyone from the Donald Trump team following her unannounced appearance at the Trump Tower in Manhattan.

German spies to monitor far-right AfD party

Germany's domestic spy agency, the BfV, is to start monitoring the far-right AfD party in a move endorsed by the government, but decried as a witch-hunt by the party's leaders.

Opinion

Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity

From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.

Opinion

Turkey's election — the Erdoğan vs Kılıçdaroğlu showdown

Turkey goes to the polls in May for both a new parliament and new president, after incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided against a post-earthquake postponement. The parliamentary outcome is easy to predict — the presidential one less so.

Latest News

  1. Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity
  2. Finnish elections and Hungary's Nato vote in focus This WEEK
  3. EU's new critical raw materials act could be a recipe for conflict
  4. Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all
  5. Von der Leyen pledges to help return Ukrainian children
  6. EU leaders agree 1m artillery shells for Ukraine
  7. Polish abortion rights activist vows to appeal case
  8. How German business interests have shaped EU climate agenda

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality
  5. Promote UkraineInvitation to the National Demonstration in solidarity with Ukraine on 25.02.2023
  6. Azerbaijan Embassy9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us