2024-04-30 08:36:42
Things are simmering in the AfD: Discussions are igniting in the party about the federal executive board’s attitude towards Maximilian Krah. EU MP Sylvia Limmer describes the behavior as “embarrassing”.
The outgoing AfD MEP Sylvia Limmer has clearly criticized her party’s federal executive committee in the espionage affair and called for an investigation. On Deutschlandfunk, she described it as “disturbing” that the board was fully aware of the inconsistencies surrounding the AfD’s top candidate in the European elections, Maximilian Krah.
Krah’s pro-Chinese statements and also his “massively pro-Russian” stance were publicly known, emphasizes Limmer. “You can read about it in the media. Anyone could do it. The federal executive board could do it too.” In addition, before she left the Federal Executive Board in 2022, she had already delivered a letter to Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel about allegations of loyalty against Krah and his voting behavior.
“I actually find it embarrassing to duck away now.”
There were also repeated disputes within the delegation with international partners of the EU group, emphasizes Limmer. Krah was suspended twice by the EU parliamentary group. Despite the known problems, the federal executive board supported Krah as the EU’s top candidate. “I actually find it embarrassing to duck out now,” Limmer commented on the Federal Executive Board’s behavior on Deutschlandfunk.
She would have expected a party leadership to be available for interviews, “because there is something like a political responsibility that you have to face.” The Federal Executive Board is currently not taking on this responsibility.
Limmer has been a member of the European Parliament for the AfD since 2019. Her party did not put her up for re-election in the upcoming European elections in June. She is considered a critic of the extreme right wing of the party around Björn Höcke.
Criticism also from other EU MPs
Already on Wednesday evening, AfD MEP Nicolaus Fest said that he saw party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as having the main responsibility. “They have been advised several times that this is, I would say, a dud that can go off at any time,” he told the TV station RTL. However, the two party leaders ignored all warnings.
Krah has been criticized for days, among other things because he is suspected of receiving money from Russia and one of his employees was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. The Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office has started two preliminary investigations. Krah himself rejects all allegations and emphasized on Wednesday after a conversation with Weidel and Chrupalla that he would remain the AfD’s top candidate in the European elections.