“Resolutely fight the party”
Antifa publishes addresses of AfD candidates
08/09/2023, 5:35 p.m
In order to take action against the AfD, Antifa in Frankfurt is taking a controversial approach. Private addresses of Hessian AfD candidates are made accessible to everyone. The Federal Ministry of the Interior condemned the action.
Antifa Frankfurt published the private addresses of Hessian AfD candidates for the state elections in the state on October 8 on the Internet this week. “It is long overdue to resolutely fight the party and its acting individuals. Together with you, we want to contest the spaces in which they move as a matter of course, feel unmolested and think they are safe,” said a corresponding call by the left group.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior condemned the action on the Internet. Violence and threats could “never be an acceptable means of a political dispute in any way,” said a ministry spokesman in Berlin. This applies regardless of which extremist spectrum the threats came from. This must be pursued. It is now the task of the police and law enforcement authorities in Hesse to clarify this.
According to its own information, the Hessian State Criminal Police Office contacted the board of the AfD state association for a risk assessment. For all those affected, there were “police measures for protection”, the authority said. In some cases, the measures already in place have been adjusted. Affected politicians would be made aware of advice and support services.
The Hessian AfD head of state Andreas Lichert had said: “What Antifa Frankfurt is doing here is nothing more than a cryptic call for intimidation and violence against AfD politicians.” Such actions are literally dangerous. “Anyone who has a family and is active in the AfD is very worried when such an interactive map is published together with a call to fight,” said Lichtert. It feels like being declared “outlawed”.
The AfD has gained increased approval among the German population in recent months. In the current RTL/ntv trend barometer from Forsa, the party ranks second with 21 percent. The Union is unchanged at 25 percent, the SPD as in the previous week at 17 percent.
The Greens are also stagnating at 15 percent. The FDP comes to 7 percent. The left, which is still busy with internal disputes about direction and personnel, slipped back one point below the 5 percent mark.