German politician Alexander Eichwald may be expelled from the AfD party after delivering a speech reminiscent of Hitler’s style at a youth congress.
Party Proceedings Initiated
The speaker who caused a sensation at the founding congress of the AfD youth wing because he spoke like Hitler is to be expelled from the party. The local AfD branch in Herford (North Rhine-Westphalia) has filed a request with the party’s arbitration court to initiate proceedings to exclude Alexander Eichwald.
According to information obtained by the German press agency DPA from party circles, the application is already being reviewed and a swift initiation of proceedings is expected. As soon as it is opened, Eichwald could be stripped of his membership rights.
Hitler-Style Speech
At the end of last November at the founding congress of the new AfD youth organization – Generation Deutschland (GD) – in Giessen, Eichwald applied to serve on the board. In his speech, he threatened with his finger, pronounced words emphasizing the ‘r’ and shouted towards the gathered: “We all here share love and loyalty to Germany” and “protecting German culture from foreign influences is and remains our national duty.”
The performance resembled in tone and style the leader of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler. In the AfD party and on the internet, a discussion erupted as to whether this was a deliberate action.
Loss of Council Positions
After the controversial speech, the AfD party in Herford excluded Eichwald from its faction in the city council. A procedure for expulsion from the party was also prepared. According to the previous experience of AfD Bundestag member from the Herford region, Maximilian Kneller, Eichwald had been a party member for only a few weeks. Hardly anyone knew him, and Eichwald behaved discreetly until the moment of his performance – claimed Kneller.
In mid-December, the AfD in Herford removed Eichwald, who is now not affiliated with any other faction in the city council, from almost all positions in the city council committees, a city administration spokesman reported. At the end of February, Eichwald is to be removed by council resolution from the last committee. After that, he will no longer hold any official function, and thus will not have the right to vote.
Party Classification
The AfD party is officially classified in Germany as a partially right-wing extremist party.
