A far-right party in Germany is promising consistent deportations and even free Russian lessons for Saxony-Anhalt if elected.
The Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) chapter, based in the former East Germany, outlined the party’s manifesto ahead of elections in September.
Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said: ‘We say yes to consistent deportations.’
The manifesto, seen by CNN, is advocating for what they call a ‘180-degree turn’ in migration and is campaigning for ‘remigration’, which has been linked to Nazi rhetoric.
Remigration advocates for the deportation of immigrants and refugees – mainly focusing on non-white immigrants – back to their countries. Even refugees who fled from Ukraine during the war would be considered.
The party also spoke out against what it calls ‘anti-Russian policies’ of the current political parties.
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‘The current anti-Russian policies of the established political parties, however, are not in Germany’s interest. They are dividing Europe,’ they wrote.
The AfD wants to lift all sanctions against Russia and vowed to introduce free Russian lessons to counter the ‘anti-Russian’ sentiment they claim is rampant in Germany.
Last month, it was revealed that German authorities are concerned about AfD leaking sensitive information to Russia or China.
MPs fear their AfD colleagues are actively leaking intelligence to foreign powers – including military and security matters.
It’s been an issue in the past. In 2024, Germany spilt British military secrets in what was called the worst breach since the Cold War.
Ingo Gerhartz, the Luftwaffe air force Lieutenant General, was speaking with other officers and a general about the process of delivering Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.
But a recording of the 38-minute call was broadcast on Russian state television, with Mr Gerhartz heard claiming ‘British troops were already on the ground’ – a highly sensitive detail which has worried fellow Nato allies.
Then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the ‘very serious leak’ would be investigated.
The AfD’s apparent affinity for Russia is in stark contrast to Germany’s announcement that it would prepare for a ‘potential Russian attack in the next two years’.
Lieutenant General Gerald Funke, the head of the German armed forces support command (UstgKdoBw), told The Times that Russian ‘hybrid warfare’ is his biggest concern, along with casualties.
‘Whereas in Afghanistan I had a regrettably high but manageable number of wounded, I now have to plan for the possibility of a thousand injured personnel a day, ‘he said.
‘The closer you look at it, the more complex it becomes and the harder it is to imagine.’
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