Stepping Away From the AfD Faction: MP Sieghard Knodel's Departure
Parliamentarian exits from AfD party grouping - Initial Party Member Steps Down from AfD (alternate phrasing: Initial Party individual withdraws from AfD)
In the wake of the domestic intelligence agency labeling the AfD as a "hardcore far-right" organization, Sieghard Knodel, an AfD parliamentarian, has bid adieu to both the party and its faction. On Monday, Knodel broke the news to Julia Klöckner, the President of the Bundestag, as stated by the Bundestag. A spokesperson from the AfD faction confirmed Knodel's resignation on Tuesday. The reason behind his decision? The AfD's upgrade to a "confirmed far-right" status by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Emails obtained by ZDF reveal that Knodel deemed it essential to shield both his professional and private life from potential harm. He lamented the situation but deemed it inevitable. Knodel aims to continue serving as an independent MP in the Bundestag.
Bye-bye, AfD Faction: MP Sieghard Knodel Bids Adieu
The district association of Reutlingen, where Knodel previously served with the AfD, expressed both surprise and disappointment over his resignation. The association expressed confusion over Knodel's reasoning, especially since the AfD received the "confirmed far-right" tag from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. They urged Knodel to relinquish his Bundestag mandate post haste, allowing another AfD MP to take his place.
They deemed the classification by the domestic intelligence agency a "politically motivated act" devoid of factual basis. The district association viewed Knodel's failure to grasp this fact as regrettable.
Reactions on the AfD district association Reutlingen's Facebook page included avoidable insults, labeling Knodel as a "traitor," "careerist," and "election cheat."
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AfD Faction Shrinks Again: Continued Departures
According to his biography on the Bundestag website, Knodel is a business economist and master agricultural machinery mechanic. From 1992 to March 2025, he managed S. Knodel, a company specializing in aerial work platforms' sales and rentals.
With Knodel's departure, the AfD faction is now left with 151 MPs. Previous legislative periods have also seen members leaving the faction.
- Sieghard Knodel
- AfD
- Domestic Intelligence Agency
- Bundestag
- Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
- The departure of MP Sieghard Knodel from the AfD faction in the Bundestag was confirmed by the AfD faction's spokesperson, following his resignation.
- The domestic intelligence agency, Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has categorized the AfD as a "confirmed far-right" organization, a move that led to Sieghard Knodel's decision to leave the party.
- In response to Knodel's resignation, the district association of Reutlingen, where he previously served with the AfD, expressed surprise and disappointment, urging him to relinquish his Bundestag mandate.
- Despite the AfD's classification as a "hardcore far-right" organization by the domestic intelligence agency, Knodel chose to continue serving as an independent MP in the Bundestag to protect both his professional and private life.
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