Corona Rules Broke the Bank? AfD's Plea for Compensation Turned Down
Party AfD unsuccessful in seeking reimbursement for COVID-19 penalties - Political party AfD faces setback as coronavirus penalty reimbursement proposal fails
Got a Corona fine in Thuringia and think it's unfair? Think again. The opposition AfD's proposal to compensate fines incurred during the pandemic was met with a landslide rejection in the state parliament. The CDU, BSW, SPD, Left Party, and even their own faction, couldn't agree more on this one. In a reported 47 votes against and only 32 in favor, the bill went straight to the reject bin.
The SPD's Health Minister, Katharina Schenk, didn't hold back, labeling the AfD's move as an attempt to undermine the heroes who fought the pandemic with science-backed measures, resulting in fewer infections and deaths.
The AfD, feeling the pinch of the pandemic, aimed to secure as much as four million euros to cover Corona fines and warnings for rule violations. They dubbed it the "Law of Righting Wrongs." AfD MP, Sascha Schloesser, rallied the troops with this battle cry.
However, not everyone was amused. The Left Party's Ulrike Grosse-Röthig pointed out that the AfD had previously challenged several pandemic measures in the Thuringian Constitutional Court, often with mixed results. The measures were generally upheld, except for a temporary nighttime curfew, which was deemed excessive. Grosse-Röthig accused the AfD of seeking to delegitimize state action in the face of a global crisis.
Critics from various factions chimed in, questioning the wisdom of the AfD's compensation demand. The specter of the pandemic looms large in political debates these days, and the AfD's stance on pandemic policies often finds them isolated.
Agenda Items
- Coronavirus
- AfD
- Fine
- Compensation
- Thuringia
- Rule violation
- SPD
- Erfurt
- Thuringian State Parliament
- CDU
- Schenk
Enrichment Data:The AfD's bid for compensation was met with considerable opposition due to the broader context of the German government's COVID-19 measures, widely seen as necessary to control the pandemic. These measures included fines and sanctions for breaches of coronavirus-related restrictions. The consensus among other parties was that such fines were justified and not subject to compensation claims. The rejection aligns with the national approach in Germany, where most political actors endorsed preventive COVID-19 measures and did not advocate for compensating fines incurred under these legally mandated rules[1].
- The AfD's proposal for compensation of Corona fines and warnings contrasts with the general consensus in the Thuringian State Parliament, which viewed such fines as justified for rule violations during the pandemic.
- The rejection of the AfD's "Law of Righting Wrongs" was rooted in the broader context of politics and policy, with many viewing these fines as part of necessary COVID-19 measures to control the pandemic, and not subject to compensation claims.
