AfD Distances Itself from Halemba Amidst Hatred Incitement Allegations
The AfD party leadership in Germany is distancing itself from its Bavarian member of parliament, Daniel Halemba. Halemba, a 22-year-old student, is under investigation for incitement of the people and the use of symbols of anti-constitutional organizations. The party's federal executive committee requested the Bavarian AfD state executive committee to initiate expulsion proceedings against Halemba following a meeting in Berlin.
The accusations against Halemba came to light following a raid on his Teutonia Prag fraternity house in Würzburg, which had been under observation by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution since December 2023. During the raid, authorities confiscated a guest book containing the entry "Sieg Heil" signed by Halemba and discovered a printout of an SS order issued by SS chief Heinrich Himmler in October 1939 with a so-called double sigrune in his room.
The fraternity had also stored propaganda material from the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement and played right-wing extremist music in their house. This, along with their support for the right-wing extremist efforts of the Identitarian Movement, led to the fraternity being an object of observation by the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Despite these accusations, Halemba has denied the charges. The state executive of the AfD in Bavaria remained silent on the matter initially but stated that the issue would be discussed in the state executive committee meeting on Thursday.
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The investigation into Halemba's alleged incitement to hatred and use of banned symbols continues. Halemba was arrested on October 30, 2023, and is currently awaiting a detention review of the arrest warrant at the Würzburg District Court. The outcome of the investigation and any potential expulsion proceedings by the AfD party remain to be seen.
Enrichment Data:
- Investigation and Arrest: Police searched the Teutonia Prague fraternity house on September 14, 2023, following neighbors' reports of "Sieg Heil" being shouted from the home. An arrest warrant was issued against Halemba on October 27, 2023, just three days before the constituent session.
- Arrest: Halemba was arrested in Kirchheim unter Teck on October 30, 2023, based on suspicions of incitement to hatred and use of symbols of anti-constitutional organizations. His defense lawyer applied for a detention review of the arrest warrant.
- Party Membership: Despite his arrest, Halemba successfully retained his membership in the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as part of a settlement with party leadership.
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