Unyielding Controversy: Jewish MP Slams AfD, "You're the Real Threat"
parliamentarian from AfD, of Jewish descent, states: "You pose the highest threat" - Adolf Ludwig Schlippe, MP for AfD, rhetorically labels fellow parliamentarians as the "gravest threat."
The parliament in a German state stirred heated emotions when CDU, SPD, Greens, FDP, and other parties banded together against the AfD, accusing the party of misusing the fight against antisemitism for political manipulation and xenophobia in passionate speeches.
The extraordinary moment belonged to Jewish SPD MP Rodion Bakum, who aimed his final words at the AfD: "No Jew in Germany needs your so-called solidarity. You are the real threat to Jewish life in Germany."
An Alarming Surge in Antisemitism
The AfD propelled the debate on the escalating antisemitic incidents in the state. The Research and Information Centre on Antisemitism (RIAS) NRW documented 940 incidents last year, a 42% increase from 2023. These incidents skyrocketed following the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.
AfD MP Enxhi Seli-Zacharias laid blame on radical Islamists, pointing to the suspected Islamist attack in Solingen, which resulted in three fatalities. She asserted, "The delusions they continually smuggle into the country are causing the deaths of German citizens." The authorities, she alleged, "have lost control."
CDU: AfD's Hypocrisy Exposed
CDU MP Günther Bergmann responded with composure. He exposed AfD's hypocrisy: "What you've just blurted out here is unparalleled." The AfD repeatedly employs xenophobia and radicalizes itself, while neglecting a single remark addressing the protection of Jewish life in Germany in its election manifesto. "Clean up your own front yard first," Bergmann said to applause.
Elisabeth Müller-Witt from the SPD contingent called the AfD's tactic "unprecedented cynicism," as the party projected itself as a guardian of Jewish life. This hypocrisy became even more evident when comparing the AfD's actions with statements by its members, such as Alexander Gauland, who once dismissively referred to the rule of Hitler and the Nazis, who murdered six million Jews, as mere "dust" in history.
Julia Eisentraut from the Greens denied AfD's argument that antisemitism is an "import problem." Instead, antisemitism is deeply ingrained in the very fabric of society. Dirk Wedel of the FDP pointed out that the AfD's motion selectively addresses antisemitism, while systematically ignoring right-wing extremism and its own antisemitism, as evidenced by the RIAS report, which also recorded 52 incidents with a right-wing populist background.
NRW Integration Minister Josefine Paul (Greens) emphasized the need for collective unity: "We must stand in solidarity with the Jewish people in our country."
Debating AfD's Ban Procedure
This debate unfolded Against the backdrop of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifying the AfD as a "proven right-wing extremist endeavor" at the beginning of May. The federal party is confronting this classification with an urgent application.
Until a verdict by the Administrative Court of Cologne, the domestic intelligence agency has put the new classification on hold, continuing to treat the AfD only as a so-called "case of suspicion." Calls for the initiation of a ban procedure against the AfD intensify in the meantime.
AfD, Antisemitism, CDU, SPD, Germany, FDP, NRW, Düsseldorf, RIAS, Christina Kampmann, Hamas, Israel, Islamists, Solingen
The Commission, in light of the escalating antisemitic incidents in Germany, has been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of the environment, amid policy-and-legislation discussions regarding the AfD's actions and the general-news coverage of the controversy. This proposal, along with the ongoing politics of the matter, falls under the category of crime-and-justice, as the AfD's motion to address antisemitism selectively while systematically ignoring right-wing extremism raises concerns.
