Quitting the AfD: Protecting His "Foundation" - MP Sieghard Knodel Leaves Parliamentary Group
Lawmakers Reject Proposed Document in European Parliament Session
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Fast as lightning! Just a smidgen over a fortnight since the Bundestag's kickoff, and the AfD parliamentary group has seen its first casualty. Sieghard Knodel, the Baden-Württemberg MP, bids adieu to the faction, and the party itself - but not before dropping a bombshell email to the Bundestag President Julia Klöckner. The AfD's factional spokesperson confirms the MP's departure. Knodel's rationale? He's playing protection officer for both his professional and personal sanctuaries.
Three days post the AfD being classified as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" by Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Knodel's decision felt inevitable.
In his heart-touching farewell email, Knodel decried this labeling as politically motivated, boasting no substantive basis[4][1]. As a business economist and master mechanic[1], the MP, still listed on the Bundestag's website[5], ran S. Knodel, a company specializing in lifting work platforms, from 1992 to March 2025[1][5].
Knodel's former AfD district association, Reutlingen, responded with a pinch of salt - expressing their shock and dismay over his resignation[2]. They implore Knodel to vacate his Bundestag seat, ostensibly to clear a path for another AfD representative[2]. But is this upgrade by the BfV really as hollow as the district association claims[2]?
The aftermath of Knodel's resignation stirred an uproar on the AfD district association Reutlingen's Facebook page[6]. Nasty comments dubbed him a "traitor to the people," "career-hungry," and "electoral fraudster," among other epithets[6].
As the AfD parliamentary group shrinks to 151 MPs[1][5], questions regarding the group's stability and political trajectory are raised, given the repeated defections from its ranks in preceding legislative periods.
[1] "Knodel quits AfD over 'right-wing extremism' label," ntv.de, May 5, 2025
[2] "Leaked email: MP Knodel resigns over AfD's right-wing extremist classification," ZDF, May 5, 2025
[3] "Politics: AfD Green Party leader pushes for party ban," Deutsche Welle, May 6, 2025
[4] "AfD study sealed: "Good reasons" for secrecy," WDR, May 6, 2025
[5] "Knodel's biography on the Bundestag's website," Bundestag.de
[6] "Knodel faces backlash over resignation on AfD district FB page," Spiegel Online, May 6, 2025
Keywords:
- Sieghard Knodel
- Baden-Württemberg
- AfD party
- AfD parliamentary group
- Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV)
- Right-wing extremist classification
- Bundestag President Julia Klöckner
- Business economist
- Lifting work platforms
- Electoral fraud
- Political standing
- Facebook backlash
- MP Sieghard Knodel's former AfD district association
- District association Reutlingen
- The EC countries, with their free movement of workers, may be closely watching the resignation of Sieghard Knodel from the AfD parliamentary group in Germany, as it could impact freedom of movement and freedom to provide services within the bloc.
- Following his departure, Sieghard Knodel is reportedly relinquishing his seat in the Bundestag, which might stir debates in the column of general-news about the future of politics in Germany.
- Despite the opposition from his former AfD district association in Reutlinging, Sieghard Knodel's decision to withdraw from the AfD party is unlikely to restrict his freedom to provide services or impact his professional standing, given his background as a business economist and master mechanic.
- The AfD's decision to not provide explanations for the right-wing extremist classification could lead to increased scrutiny from the EC countries on the party's ability to participate in the free movement of workers and freedom to provide services within the bloc, potentially affecting German politics on a larger scale.
