AFD party member in Berlin asserts: "The AfD is drifting towards neo-Nazism under Chrupalla's leadership"
Former AfD Member Criticizes Party Leaders Over Israel Stance
Marcel Goldhammer, a former deputy chair of the Federal Association of Jews in the AfD, has publicly criticized party leaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel for their statements regarding Israel and Jewish communities in Germany. Goldhammer's critique was made in a personal letter after Chrupalla suggested that Israel was committing crimes in Gaza, a stance that sparked controversy within the AfD and was considered by some party members as going too far.
In the letter, Goldhammer called for the AfD to be a "protector not only of Jews but of all groups threatened by radical Islam in Germany," implying disappointment with the party’s current direction and leadership. The controversy highlights ongoing tensions in the AfD relating to Israel, Jewish representation, and responses to the Middle East conflict.
Regarding the AfD's stance on German arms deliveries to Israel, the information from the provided sources does not explicitly detail the party’s official position. However, internal disputes within the AfD over Israel-related issues—highlighted by Chrupalla’s Gaza comments and ensuing backlash—suggest a fractured or contested approach rather than a monolithic party line. This reflects ongoing struggles within the AfD to establish a unified position on the Israel-Gaza conflict, encompassing criticism both within the party and outside it.
The AfD has been struggling for weeks with its stance on Israel's actions in the Gaza conflict. Some prominent members, such as Beatrix von Storch and Alexander Gauland, clearly stand with Israel, while others are increasingly critical. Tino Chrupalla, an AfD leader, supports the partial suspension of arms deliveries to Israel, justifying this decision by citing the general AfD position of opposing arms exports to crisis and war zones.
Goldhammer believes that the AfD is inching towards radical Islam in its content, and that under Chrupalla's leadership, the party is losing its critical stance on Islam. Goldhammer, who was a member of internal party groups like "Jews in the AfD" and "Alternative Homosexuals," has since resigned from the party.
Marcel Goldhammer, before his departure, worked as an actor and model before running on the Berlin state list for the Bundestag in 2021. His criticism of the AfD leaders comes amidst allegations that connections to the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement are influencing members of the Bundestag, and accusations that the AfD is increasingly becoming an anti-Western party.
Sources: [1] https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2021-11/afd-israel-gaza-marcel-goldhammer-tino-chrupalla-kritik
- The controversy over Israel's actions in Gaza has led to internal disputes within the AfD, with some members, such as Tino Chrupalla, advocating for the partial suspension of arms deliveries to Israel, while others, like Marcel Goldhammer, criticize this stance as a potential inching towards radical Islam.
- Beyond Israel-related issues, the AfD's policy-and-legislation and politics surrounding war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, general-news, and other domains remain complex, as evidenced by the allegations of connections to the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement and accusations of the party becoming an anti-Western entity.
- In his resignation from the AfD, Marcel Goldhammer expressed concern about the party's content drifting towards radical Islam under the leadership of Tino Chrupalla, implying that the AfD should protect all groups threatened by radical Islam in Germany instead.
