Quitting the AfD Faction: Sieghard Knodel's Departure Over Classification
Parliamentarian Departs from AfD Faction Following Constitutional Protection Office Intensification - AfD group loses a member due to constitutional safeguards commitment
You probably wanna know why Sieghard Knodel, the dude from Reutlingen who's a business economist and master mechanical whiz, left the AfD faction in Bundestag. Well, according to a ZDF-snatched email, he decided to bolster his professional and personal world. And, here's the kicker, he considers his move inevitable, despite the regret he feels about leaving his former party.
Now, his AfD locals in Reutlingen are keeping it real with a "surprise and disappointment" vibe. They can't get their heads around Knodel's reason for leaving - the classification of the AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The locals ain't too happy about this classify business and have asked Knodel to step down from the Bundestag stat cough STAT post so another AfD member could slide in.
But, did Knodel actually get upgraded or classified by the Federal Office? The internet interwebs aren't crystal clear on that, but rumor has it that the AfD was recently dubbed as a "racist and anti-Muslim organization" by the same bunch of folks over at the Federal Office[1][5]. This award allows German authorities to monitor the AfD more closely and potentially shut off the cash tap for the party[1]. Unsurprisingly, the AfD didn't dig that vibe and filed a lawsuit against the Federal Office, claiming it was politically motivated[5].
Knodel's exit has knocked the wind out of the sails of the AfD faction, shrinking it by one member to a mere 151 MPs. This ain't the first time the faction's lost members in a legislative period.
- AfD
- Classification
- Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
- Bundestag
- Sieghard Knodel
- Reutlingen
- Julia Klöckner
- CDU
- ZDF
[1] https://www.politico.eu/article/german-intelligence-agency-classifies-afd-as-right-wing-extremist-party/[2] https://www.dw.com/en/what-are-germany-s-intelligence-services/a-36487110[3] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/tagesereignisse-ihr-leben-in-politis-нах-warum-die-afd-verboten-werden- sollte-a-6098b68e-3e78-4569-b5bb-fa24d253763b[4] https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/afd-vorsitzender-joerg-meuthen-bekommt-grundsatzrechtes-urteil/27752498.html[5] https://euobserver.com/germany/155991
- The AfD, a conservative political party in Germany, has been classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
- Sieghard Knodel, a member of the AfD in the Bundestag, left the party due to their classification and the subsequent monitoring by German authorities.
- Knodel's decision to leave the AfD has resulted in a reduction of the party's representatives in the Bundestag to 151 members.
- The classification of the AfD as an extremist party by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been a subject of controversy, with the party filing a lawsuit against the office, claiming it is politically motivated.
