Maximilian Krah - Global pulse News
  • German reactionary AfD claim ‘best to govern’ after EU election gains

    German reactionary AfD claim ‘best to govern’ after EU election gains

    The reactionary AfD’s second-place surface in European Parliament elections has actually highlighted the celebration’s growing strength and claim on power, the Option for Germany’s co-leader stated on Monday.

    Other German political celebrations have actually declined to form unions with the AfD or work together with the reactionary populists in federal government bodies, efficiently freezing the celebration out of power.

    “We were currently popping the corks the other day,” AfD co-chairwoman Alice Weidel informed reporters in Berlin at the AfD’s election evaluation. “Individuals desire us to handle federal government duty.”

    Weidel argued that the celebration’s increased assistance, especially in eastern Germany, implied they could not be stayed out of federal government permanently. 3 eastern German states are because of hold elections in September, and the AfD ran a clear top place in the area in the European Parliament vote.

    “We can govern,” she stated. “If you take a look at the lead to Saxony, then you understand who will be the next state premier.”

    She likewise required that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz call early elections, provided the bad proving by all 3 celebrations in his union.

    AfD legislators boot Krah from faction

    The AfD prospects newly chosen to the European Parliament voted on Monday to leave out Maximilian Krah – who had actually been the celebration’s leading prospect in the election project – from the celebration’s delegation in the European Parliament.

    The celebration had actually prohibited Krah from marketing by the celebration in the run-up to the vote after Krah discovered himself at the centre of a number of scandals.

    Omitting Krah from the AfD delegation might become part of an effort to spot things up with other reactionary celebrations in the European Parliament that form the ID bloc, consisting of French political leader Marine Le Pen’s conservative populist National Rally.

    Krah is dealing with a criminal examination into claims that he might have accepted money from Russia and China. A previous leading assistant to Krah was individually jailed on claims of having actually spied for China.

    Krah likewise made extremely questionable remarks to an Italian paper in which he stated that members of the well-known Nazi SS paramilitary were not all lawbreakers. Those remarks triggered outrage, consisting of amongst reactionary political leaders in other European nations.

    In reaction to Krah’s remarks, the ID bloc expelled the AfD from their faction in the European Parliament.

    Krah is still anticipated to sit in the European Parliament, and is still a member of the AfD, however will be omitted from the AfD delegation. The celebration’s recently chosen legislators voted 8 to 4 to kick him out, with 3 staying away.

    Krah, nevertheless, stayed self-assured after his expulsion on Monday and called the relocation a tactical error by the AfD, and recommended it may not agree with regional celebration groups and citizens in eastern Germany.

    Bystron kept in after rejecting charges

    Unlike Krah, the AfD’s second prospect on the election list, Petr Bystron, will become part of the AfD’s delegation in Brussels in spite of likewise dealing with claims of foreign impact.

    Bystron has actually been connected to a pro-Russian propaganda outlet and, according to a Czech paper report, was apparently recorded on audio recordings accepting money from sources with Kremlin ties.

    Bystron strenuously rejected the allegations and, according to AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla, he offered a sworn declaration to his brand-new coworkers on Monday that he had actually declined cash which the claims versus him are all incorrect.

    Gains amongst young citizens

    AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla revealed his pleasure on Monday over exit surveys revealing the celebration making substantial gains amongst youths.

    The AfD won an approximated 16% amongst 16- to 24-year-old citizens in Germany, a complete 11 portion points more than throughout the last European Parliament elections in 2019.

    Chrupalla stated youths had actually “utilized their heads to believe” and were “no longer affected” by public media, a veteran foil of the AfD.

    He likewise declared that young citizens felt that the AfD was “not being dealt with relatively” and was being “marginalized.”

    Germany enabled individuals as young as 16 to enact the European Parliament elections for the very first time this year.

    Chrupalla declared that lowering of the ballot age was a “technique by the green populists,” however competed that it most likely “backfired” and benefited his celebration rather.

    In addition to the scandals around Krah and Bystron, the AfD was likewise the topic of weeks of anti-right wing mass demonstrations throughout Germany after report exposed that AfD political leaders went to a conference in addition to reactionary extremists to go over strategies to press immigrants out of the nation.

    However the celebration obviously weathered the unfavorable headings to pick up speed in the vote, putting 2nd amongst German citizens with 15.9% of the vote and declaring 15 seats.

    Newly elected head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) delegation in the European Parliament Rene Aust pictured after consultations with the newly elected AfD MEPs following the European elections. Britta Pedersen/dpa

    Freshly chosen head of the Option for Germany (AfD) delegation in the European Parliament Rene Aust envisioned after assessments with the recently chosen AfD MEPs following the European elections. Britta Pedersen/dpa

    Chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group in the Bundestag Alice Weidel arrives at a press conference after the European elections. Kay Nietfeld/dpaChairwoman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group in the Bundestag Alice Weidel arrives at a press conference after the European elections. Kay Nietfeld/dpa

    Chairwoman of the Option for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group in the Bundestag Alice Weidel reaches an interview after the European elections. Kay Nietfeld/dpa

  • German reactionary AfD leader slams equivalents in France, Italy

    German reactionary AfD leader slams equivalents in France, Italy

    A leader of the scandal-plagued reactionary Alternative for Germany (AfD) blasted European celebrations of a comparable ilk on Saturday after the AfD was expelled from its European Parliament group.

    In a blow ahead of next month’s EU-wide elections, the AfD was ejected today from the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, an alliance of populist conservative celebrations in the parliament.

    AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla struck out at the reactionary celebration of Marine Le Pen in France and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He stated he would not enable them to affect AfD policies.

    Le Pen’s National Rally belongs to the ID group. The celebration rapidly started distancing itself from the AfD after Maximilian Krah, an AfD prospect for the European Parliament, stated not all members of the SS were lawbreakers.

    The Schutzstaffel (SS), was a significant paramilitary company under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Celebration. Krah’s Nazi remarks were released in Italian media previously this month.

    Chrupalla defined Meloni, among Europe’s most effective figures on the far right, as really a moderate pressing Brussels’ program. He declared that given that Meloni took workplace in 2022 she has actually kipped down favour of more migration and sending out weapons to Ukraine.

    “This Melonization will not occur with us,” Chrupalla stated at an AfD celebration conference in the eastern town of Glauchau.

    The AfD will not flex in order to end up being more reputable for others, he stated: “For us, German interests constantly precede.”

    Apart from the SS remarks, Krah’s ties to Russia have actually come under media analysis and his one-time assistant was detained last month on suspicion of spying for China.

    Still, Chrupalla minimized the AfD’s explusion from the EU parliamentary group as a “little crisis” and stated the the celebration, which stays Germany’s second-most popular in studies, had actually been through even worse.

    The other co-leader of the AfD, Alice Weidel, struck a less combative tone at an occasion on the other side of the nation.

    “The week we have actually had has actually not been a great one. We have actually faced turbulence with an undesirable result,” she stated on Saturday in the western town of Marl.

    “Such days, such minutes when things are not going so well are constantly a chance to find out lessons in order to continue to grow and additional professionalize ourselves,” Weidel informed some 800 or two celebration advocates.

  • Germany’s reactionary AfD erupted by EU partners

    Germany’s reactionary AfD erupted by EU partners

    Germany’s AfD celebration was expelled Thursday from its reactionary group within the European Parliament after a series of scandals including a prominent legislator, in the closing stretch of an EU election race in which the extreme right is riding high.

    France’s National Rally (REGISTERED NURSE) and Italy’s League — both partners to the Option for Germany (AfD) within the parliament’s hard-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group — have actually been rushing to distance themselves from the celebration and its embattled legislator, Maximilian Krah.

    The AfD’s leading prospect in the June 6-9 surveys, Krah is being examined for suspicious links to Russia and China — and after he made remarks reducing the criminal activities of the Nazis’ feared SS, the registered nurse chose to draw the line.

    Marine Le Pen’s celebration revealed Tuesday it would no longer sit with the AfD in Brussels. 2 days later on ID voted to expel the German celebration and its 9 EU legislators.

    “The ID Group no longer wishes to be related to the occurrences including Maximilian Krah,” it stated in a declaration.

    “The Bureau of the Identity and Democracy Group in the European Parliament has actually chosen today to omit the German delegation, AfD, with instant impact.”

    Nicolai von Ondarza, at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, saw the speed of ID’s relocation as a method of “signalling in their election project that Le Pen and Co. wish to provide themselves as the more moderate”.

    “This truly is completion of the roadway of a journey of radicalisation for the AfD, which has actually ended up being too extreme to swallow even for that most reactionary fringe of the European political spectrum,” he composed on the platform X.

    However EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen put reject on the idea the German celebration was essentially in a various class to other European reactionary motions — registered nurse consisted of.

    “We need to be clear-eyed,” she composed on X. “Various names — however all the very same.”

    “They are Putin’s puppets and proxies and they are running over on our worths,” she stated, describing Russia’s long-serving leader.

    – Tidy break –

    Checking out the composing on the wall, the AfD had actually currently transferred to prohibit Krah from EU election project occasions — though it was electorally far too late to get rid of the 47-year-old attorney from the top of its list for the survey.

    However the registered nurse stated it was too little too late.

    registered nurse legislator Jean-Paul Garraud, who beings in ID’s management bureau, validated the French celebration lagged the effort to expel its German partner.

    He informed AFP that Krah’s AfD as an entire brought duty for his “inadmissible” remarks made as lead prospect.

    AfD stated in reaction it had actually “kept in mind of the ID Group’s choice” however insisted it stayed positive for the upcoming elections.

    The celebration stated it would “continue to have reputable partners at our side in the brand-new legal duration”.

    Krah has actually been at the centre of a deepening crisis after among his assistants in the EU parliament was jailed on suspicion of spying for China.

    He and another crucial AfD prospect, Petr Bystron, have actually likewise been required to reject accusations they accepted cash to spread out pro-Russian positions on a Moscow-financed news site.

    registered nurse leader Jordan Bardella stated Krah had actually lastly crossed a “red line” after he informed an Italian paper that not every member of Germany’s SS was “instantly a criminal”.

    The ID grouping is the 6th biggest in the European Parliament, and the smaller sized of 2 reactionary groups, behind the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) that includes Giorgia Meloni’s Sibling of Italy.

    Secret problems are viewed as dividing the 2 reactionary factions.

    Most significantly, ID is sceptical of ongoing EU assistance for Ukraine versus Russia’s getting into army, while the ECR backs Kyiv in its battle.

    And a 3rd hard-right force beings in the EU parliament in the kind of Fidesz, the unaffiliated celebration of Hungary’s Kremlin-friendly Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

    bur-ec/rmb/imm

  • Germany’s reactionary AfD prohibits EU leading prospect from public looks

    Germany’s reactionary AfD prohibits EU leading prospect from public looks

    Germany’s reactionary Option for Germany (AfD) celebration has actually prohibited its lead prospect in next month’s European elections, Maximilian Krah, from revealing looks, following his remarks that not all SS members were lawbreakers.

    A celebration representative verified a report in the Bild paper on Wednesday that the federal executive committee had actually prohibited Krah from revealing looks ahead of the pan-EU elections to choose the next European Parliament.

    Krah stated on the social networks platform X that he would avoid additional project looks and would resign as a member of the federal executive committee.

    The relocation comes a day after the French reactionary National Rally celebration stated it no longer wishes to being in the very same parliamentary group as the AfD over Krah’s remarks.

    Krah informed the Italian paper La Repubblica that not all members of the SS were lawbreakers, describing the Schutzstaffel (SS), a significant paramilitary company under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Celebration.

    “I will never ever state that everybody who used an SS uniform was instantly a criminal,” stated Krah. When asked whether the SS were war lawbreakers, he responded, “There was definitely a high portion of lawbreakers, however not all of them were lawbreakers.”

    Nazi prisoner-of-war camp were safeguarded and administered by the SS, which was greatly associated with war criminal offenses. The force was stated a criminal company in the Nuremberg trials after completion of The second world war.

    Krah stated on X: “I understand that accurate and nuanced declarations by me are being misused as a reason to damage our celebration.”

    The AfD should preserve its unity, he continued. “For this factor, I will avoid additional election project looks with instant result and resign as a member of the federal executive committee.”

    It is uncertain how the AfD’s European election project will continue. According to the celebration management, the second on the European list, Petr Bystron, will likewise no longer appear due to examinations by the public district attorney’s workplace.

    Bystron revealed on Wednesday that he will no longer be campaigning for the time being, due to household factors.

    “My closest member of the family have actually as soon as again been the victims of a home search and media harassment,” Bystron informed dpa. “Anybody who does not comprehend that I need to take care of them initially has no heart.”

    Bystron is presently under examination for cash laundering and bribery. His Berlin home was browsed on Tuesday.

    Bystron’s statement came numerous days after AfD chairpersons Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla had actually asked him to avoid making any additional looks in the European election project till the accusations versus him had actually been clarified.

    Both Krah and Bystron have actually come under extreme examination in current weeks for declared links to pro-Russian networks.

    In addition, German authorities apprehended Krah’s previous assistant Jian Guo on suspicion of espionage last month, and Krah fired him following the accusations that the parliamentary assistant was spying for China.

    The AfD’s signature concern is a hard-line anti-immigration position, and the celebration is benefiting from increased issue amongst numerous German citizens over increasing varieties of individuals looking for asylum in the nation.

    The celebration is ballot nationally at around 19%, amidst high frustration with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party union, and is forecasted to do well in the EU election on June 9.

    The AfD collaborates with France’s National Rally and Italy’s League celebration in the reactionary nationalist Identity and Democracy (ID) organizing in the European Parliament.

    The split in between the French and German celebrations follows a series of arguments in between the AfD and National Rally.

    National Rally leader Marine Le Pen slammed the AfD after strategies to deport migrants on a big scale were talked about at a secret conference participated in by members of the AfD and widely known extreme right-wingers last November near Berlin.

    “So I believe that, if this holds true, we have a glaring disagreement with the AfD which we require to talk together about significant distinctions like this and see whether these distinctions have effects for our capability to ally ourselves in a parliamentary group,” Le Pen stated.

  • German reactionary celebration prohibits its leading European election prospect from marketing after Nazi remark

    German reactionary celebration prohibits its leading European election prospect from marketing after Nazi remark

    BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s reactionary Option for Germany celebration on Wednesday prohibited its leading prospect for next month’s European election from making any more project looks and stated he would resign from the celebration’s board right away.

    The general public demotion followed Maximilian Krah informed an Italian paper that not all members of the Nazis’ elite SS system, which was associated with significant war criminal offenses throughout The second world war, were war bad guys.

    Krah, 47, had actually currently been under examination after authorities in Brussels browsed his workplaces at the European Parliament in connection with among his assistants who was jailed last month on suspicion of spying for China.

    German media have actually declared that Krah has actually had ties himself to China and likewise Russia.

    The scandals including Krah come at a most troublesome time for the Option for Germany, or AfD — just a couple of weeks before the celebration is wanting to make huge gains at the European election. It had actually been riding high in the surveys in 2015, however has actually ended up being less popular this year after countless Germans opposed its extreme reactionary position.

    In addition to Krah, the no. 2 on the AfD’s list for the European Parliament election, Petr Bystron, last month independently rejected accusations in a Czech everyday that he might have gotten cash from a pro-Russian network.

    AfD’s leading celebration board stated in a declaration after an emergency situation conference to talk about Krah’s current mistakes that there had actually been “huge damage to the celebration in the present election project, for which the lead prospect had actually offered the pretext.”

    It stated Krah took complete obligation and will resign from his position on the federal executive board with instant impact. It wasn’t right away clear if he was still running for the European Parliament.

    The current celebration crisis was set off by an interview Krah provided recently to the Italian paper La Repubblica, in which he stated, “I will never ever state that anybody who used an SS uniform was immediately a criminal,” German news firm dpa reported.

    When asked whether the SS were war bad guys, he responded: “There was definitely a high portion of bad guys, however not all of them were bad guys.”

    In response to that interview, France’s reactionary leader Marine Le Pen from the Rassemblement National celebration suggested that Krah had actually violated a red line. Up until now, the Rassemblement National, or registered nurse, had actually been collaborating with the AfD in the European Parliament, today the French far-right is thinking about ending its cooperation with the AfD on the European level, dpa reported.

    registered nurse celebration leader Jordan Bardella stated on TF1 that “I believe that the AfD, with whom we have actually collaborated in the European Parliament for 5 years, has actually crossed lines that are red lines for me,” dpa reported.

  • Germany’s reactionary AfD prohibits EU leading prospect from public looks

    Germany’s reactionary AfD prohibits EU leading prospect from public looks

    Germany’s reactionary Option for Germany (AfD) celebration has actually prohibited its lead prospect in next month’s European elections, Maximilian Krah, from revealing looks, following his remarks that not all SS members were lawbreakers.

    A celebration spokesperson verified a report in the Bild paper on Wednesday that the federal executive committee had actually prohibited Krah from revealing looks ahead of the pan-EU elections to choose the next European Parliament.

    Krah stated on the social networks platform X that he would avoid more project looks and would resign as a member of the federal executive committee.

    The relocation comes a day after the French reactionary National Rally celebration stated it no longer wishes to being in the exact same parliamentary group as the AfD over Krah’s remarks.

    Krah informed the Italian paper La Repubblica that not all members of the SS were lawbreakers, describing the Schutzstaffel (SS), a significant paramilitary company under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Celebration.

    “I will never ever state that everybody who used an SS uniform was instantly a criminal,” stated Krah. When asked whether the SS were war lawbreakers, he responded, “There was definitely a high portion of lawbreakers, however not all of them were lawbreakers.”

    Nazi prisoner-of-war camp were protected and administered by the SS, which was greatly associated with war criminal activities. The force was stated a criminal company in the Nuremberg trials after completion of The second world war.

    Krah stated on X: “I recognize that accurate and nuanced declarations by me are being misused as a reason to hurt our celebration.”

    The AfD needs to keep its unity, he continued. “For this factor, I will avoid more election project looks with instant impact and resign as a member of the federal executive committee.”

    It is uncertain how the AfD’s European election project will continue. According to the celebration management, the second on the European list, Petr Bystron, will likewise no longer appear due to examinations by the public district attorney’s workplace.

    Both Krah and Bystron have actually come under extreme analysis in current weeks for declared links to pro-Russian networks.

    In addition, German authorities jailed Krah’s previous assistant Jian Guo on suspicion of espionage last month, and Krah fired him following the claims that the parliamentary assistant was spying for China.

    The AfD’s signature concern is a hard-line anti-immigration position, and the celebration is benefiting from increased issue amongst numerous German citizens over increasing numbers looking for asylum in the nation.

    The celebration is ballot nationally at around 19%, amidst high frustration with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party union, and is anticipated to do well in the EU election on June 9.

    The AfD interacts with France’s National Rally and the Italian League in the reactionary Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament.

    The split in between the French and German celebrations follows a series of disputes in between the AfD and National Rally.

    Le Pen slammed the AfD after strategies to deport migrants on a big scale were gone over at a secret conference gone to by members of the AfD and widely known extreme right-wingers last November near Berlin.

    “So I believe that, if this holds true, we have a glaring disagreement with the AfD which we require to talk together about significant distinctions like this and see whether these distinctions have repercussions for our capability to ally ourselves in a parliamentary group,” Le Pen stated.

  • German prosecutors probe far-right AfD lawmaker over bribery

    German prosecutors probe far-right AfD lawmaker over bribery

    German prosecutors launched an investigation into a lawmaker of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on suspicion of bribery and money laundering as well as searching several properties on Thursday.

    Petr Bystron, the second candidate on the party’s ticket for the European elections on June 9, has had his immunity waived by Germany’s Bundestag or lower house of parliament.

    Bystron described the investigation to the news website Zeit Online as politically motivated.

    Far-right lawmaker sees some election consequences

    “The proceedings will be dropped when the election is over,” he was quoted as saying. “It will cost us some votes in the election.”

    However, he was sure other voters would stick with the AfD: “Those who know the history of our party, which has been damaged by retaliatory campaigns, will not be put off by this.”

    The public prosecutor’s office in Munich said searches were taking place at Bystron’s office in Berlin, several locations in Bavaria and on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

    According to prosecutors, 11 public prosecutors and around 70 officers from the Bavarian police force were deployed.

    Properties of witnesses who are not accused in the proceedings were also searched, a spokesman for the prosecutors said. The main aim was to seize documents and data carriers to search them for evidence.

    Bystron has been the AfD’s chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017. Since 2021, he has been his party’s foreign policy spokesman and its representative to the Council of Europe and the Inter-Parliamentary Union of global legislatures.

    The Munich prosecutor pointed out that the presumption of innocence applies until a possible conviction.

    Parliament strips another AfD member of Bundestag immunity

    Bystron’s AfD parliamentary colleague Hannes Gnauck was also stripped of his immunity in the Bundestag on Thursday.

    According to broadcaster ARD, the case centres on a disciplinary complaint from his time in the German army.

    Gnauck represents the AfD on the parliamentary Defence Committee and politicians from other parties have sharply criticized his role, given suggestions that the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) had classified the former soldier as an “extremist.”

    Bystron and another leading AfD politician, Maximilian Krah, have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks. Following media reports about possible payments to both politicians, prosecutors recently examined the allegations.

    Krah, a member of the European Parliament, is the AfD’s top candidate for the European election.

    German actions follow Czech investigation

    In March, the Czech Republic placed the pro-Russian internet platform Voice of Europe (VoE) on a national sanctions list following an investigation by the intelligence services, which also included interviews with Bystron and Krah.

    The site was said to be part of a Russian influence operation aimed at calling into question the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine. A Czech newspaper had reported that Bystron may also have accepted money.

    According to dpa information, the German investigations that have now been initiated relate to the allegations in connection with VoE.

    State prosecutors also looking into AfD‘sKrah

    Criminal prosecutors in Dresden had also opened a preliminary investigation against Krah, who is from the east German city, and another person into possible payments from China.

    In addition, Krah’s former employee Jian G was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. In connection with the investigation against G, German prosecutors had Krah’s offices and those of his ex-employee in the European Parliament in Brussels searched last week.

    AfD leadership continues to stand by its two candidates.

    After a short break, Krah is once again making campaign appearances and in Bystron’s case, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla stated in writing: “The waiver of immunity and the search of Petr Bystron’s office and private premises are a serious matter.”

    So far, no evidence has been presented for the accusations that have been levelled against Bystron for weeks, they said.

    The AfD’s parliamentary group hopes for a swift conclusion to the investigation “so that there is no suspicion that an attempt is being made to influence the European election campaign through authorities and public prosecutors bound by instructions.”

    The AfD had been polling nationally at around 20%, amid dissatisfaction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition, but support has dropped to between 16% and 18% after a series of scandals – including allegations it plans to repatriate migrants.

    Tino Chrupalla (C), Federal Chairman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and leader of the AfD parliamentary group, speaks during a plenary session in the German Parliament, Bundestag. Michael Kappeler/dpa

    Tino Chrupalla (C), Federal Chairman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and leader of the AfD parliamentary group, speaks during a plenary session in the German Parliament, Bundestag. Michael Kappeler/dpa

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  • Leadership changes in far-right German party after spying allegations

    Leadership changes in far-right German party after spying allegations

    Maximilian Krah, a leading member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), is standing down from the far-right party’s executive, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla told journalists in Berlin on Tuesday.

    Krah has been in the headlines for weeks following reports of possible links to pro-Russian networks and to China, as well as possible financial dealings.

    German prosecutors are currently examining whether an investigation should be opened.

    Krah, the party’s lead candidate in next month’s elections to the European Parliament, moved last month to fire his assistant, parliamentary aide Jian Guo, following allegations that Guo was spying for China.

    German police arrested Guo on suspicion of spying on April 22.

    Krah told the Junge Freiheit (Young Freedom) weekly, which is close to the AfD, that he aimed to concentrate on his work in the European Parliament and stand back from German domestic politics.

    He said he had taken the decision months ago and denied it had anything to do with the Guo affair.

    The AfD’s signature issue is a hard-line anti-immigration stance, and the party is profiting from increased concern among many German voters over rising numbers seeking asylum in the country.

    The party is polling nationally at around 18%, amid high dissatisfaction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition.

    Its support reaches to around 30% in Thuringia and Saxony, where state elections will be held in September.

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  • German far-right MEP to return to campaign trail amid spying probe

    German far-right MEP to return to campaign trail amid spying probe

    German legislator Maximilian Krah, the top candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in June’s European elections, says he is set to return to the campaign trail despite being embroiled in a foreign influence scandal.

    German police arrested his former assistant Jian Guo on suspicion of espionage on April 22, and Krah fired him following the allegations that the parliamentary aide was spying for China.

    Krah himself is currently the subject of a preliminary investigation by German prosecutors into potential payments from Russia and China, and whether any payments might have influenced his work in the European Parliament.

    The second candidate on the party’s election ticket, Petr Bystron, has also come under intense scrutiny for alleged links to pro-Russian networks.

    The AfD’s lead contender Krah, who sits on the European Parliament’s trade committee, again rejected the accusations during an event in the Bavarian market town of Holzkirchen on Saturday.

    “We are moving in the realm of speculation and defamation,” he said, referring to the scandals.

    His parliamentary immunity had not been waived, Krah, whose European Parliament office was raided in connection with the probe into Jian Guo earlier this week, pointed out.

    After having cancelled several public appearances in recent weeks, Krah said he was set to attend campaign events throughout Germany again.

    Saturday’s event was originally due to take place at a pub in the nearby town of Miesbach. However the landlord cancelled at short notice, citing threats and hostility over his plans to host an AfD event.

    An estimated 30 AfD supporters came to the new venue in a Holzkirchen pub, while around 20 people took part in a counter-rally on the opposite side of the street, which passed off peacefully.

    Maximilian Krah, lead candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the European elections, speaks in front of a crucifix during an election campaign event in Holzkirchen. Stefan Puchner/dpa

    Maximilian Krah, lead candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the European elections, speaks in front of a crucifix during an election campaign event in Holzkirchen. Stefan Puchner/dpa

    Maximilian Krah, lead candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the European elections, gestures next to two women on the sidelines of an election campaign event in Holzkirchen. Stefan Puchner/dpaMaximilian Krah, lead candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the European elections, gestures next to two women on the sidelines of an election campaign event in Holzkirchen. Stefan Puchner/dpa

    Maximilian Krah, lead candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the European elections, gestures next to two women on the sidelines of an election campaign event in Holzkirchen. Stefan Puchner/dpa

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  • Police search Brussels office of prominent far-right German lawmaker over China spying allegations

    Police search Brussels office of prominent far-right German lawmaker over China spying allegations

    BERLIN (AP) — Authorities were searching the European parliament office of a prominent German far-right lawmaker in Brussels on Tuesday, Germany’s top prosecutor’s office said.

    Maximilian Krah, the Alternative for Germany party’s top candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections, has been under scrutiny after an assistant of his was arrested last month on suspicion of spying for China.

    Jian Guo — a German national who had worked for Krah since his election to the European Union legislature in 2019 — has been accused of of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of repeatedly passing on information on negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament in January. Prosecutors allege that he was also spying on Chinese dissidents in Germany.

    The arrest cast an unflattering light on the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which already faced criticism for having Russia-friendly positions. The European Parliament elections will take place June 9 in Germany.

    The federal public prosecutor’s office said in Tuesday’s statement that “the European Parliament has consented to enter the premises.”

    An apartment of Guo in Brussels had already been searched last month, the prosecutors’ statement said.

    Prosecutors said that on Tuesday both the offices of Krah and Guo in Brussels were searched on the basis of orders issued by the investigating German judge and a European investigation order.

    Krah had dismissed his assistant last month after he was arrested, but both the German government and opposition lawmakers have sharply assailed the Alternative for Germany for its alleged closeness to China and also Russia.

    Despite the allegations, Krah remains the AfD’s top candidate for the European Parliament election.

    News magazine Der Spiegel and public broadcaster ZDF reported last month that Krah was questioned by the FBI at the end of a visit to the United States in December about possible payments from pro-Russian sources.

    Krah has denied receiving any such payments. He wrote on the social platform X that the preliminary investigation was expected but added that “we are still in the area of suppositions and insinuations.”

    Separately, the no. 2 on the AfD’s list for the European Parliament election, Petr Bystron, last month denied allegations in a Czech daily that he may have received money from a pro-Russian network.

    Also last month, German authorities also arrested three other people suspected of spying for China and arranging to transfer information on technology with potential military uses.

    Prosecutors said the three German citizens are accused of having acted for Chinese intelligence since before June 2022. They are also suspected of violating German export laws by exporting a special laser without permission.

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  • Von der Leyen mocks Germany’s far-right AfD over scandals

    Von der Leyen mocks Germany’s far-right AfD over scandals

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mocked the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s European parliamentary election campaign launch, which has been overshadowed by spying scandals and suspicions of foreign influence-buying.

    The AfD’s lead candidate, Maximilian Krah, sat out the campaign launch event on Saturday, less than a week after a top aide to Krah was arrested on allegations of spying for China.

    Krah himself is currently the subject of a preliminary investigation by German prosecutors into potential payments from Russia and China, and whether any payments might have influenced his work in the European Parliament.

    “First covered up by the executive board, then hidden by the executive board – how about the AfD finally coming out with the truth?” said von der Leyen on Sunday at an event for the youth wing of her centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in the western German city of Aachen.

    AfD leaders have decided to stick with Krah despite the scandal, but removed him from the programme for the party’s campaign launch event on Saturday.

    Von der Leyen also hammered away at proposals from the eurosceptic AfD that Germany should break away from the European Union.

    Doing so would come at an immense cost to the German economy, von der Leyen said, citing a study from the German Economic Institute (IW).

    The IW calculated that a so-called “Dexit” (or Deutschland Exit) would cost Germany around 10% of its economic output, von der Leyen said.

    No member state benefits more from the EU’s single market than Germany, von der Leyen said, noting that 55% of German exports go to other countries in the single market.

    Leaving the EU would mean a loss of prosperity of €400-500 billion ($428-535 billion) per year for Germany and the loss of 2.2 million jobs.

    “The AfD’s European programme is a job destruction programme,” von der Leyen said.

    Ursula von der Leyen, lead candidate of the European People's Party (EPP) and President of the European Commission, speaks at the 60th North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Day of the Junge Union. Henning Kaiser/dpa

    Ursula von der Leyen, lead candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP) and President of the European Commission, speaks at the 60th North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Day of the Junge Union. Henning Kaiser/dpa

    Ursula von der Leyen, lead candidate of the European People's Party (EPP) and President of the European Commission, speaks at the 60th North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Day of the Junge Union. Henning Kaiser/dpaUrsula von der Leyen, lead candidate of the European People's Party (EPP) and President of the European Commission, speaks at the 60th North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Day of the Junge Union. Henning Kaiser/dpa

    Ursula von der Leyen, lead candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP) and President of the European Commission, speaks at the 60th North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Day of the Junge Union. Henning Kaiser/dpa

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  • Germany grapples with wave of spying threats from Russia and China

    Germany grapples with wave of spying threats from Russia and China

    Six suspected spies have been arrested in Germany this month alone, in what has become a torrent of allegations of Russian and Chinese espionage.

    For the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party it has proved especially embarrassing, because their top two candidates for the European elections in June have been caught in the crosshairs.

    An aide to MEP Maximilian Krah, who heads the party’s list, has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Jian G is accused of being an “employee of a Chinese secret service”.

    Prosecutors have also begun preliminary investigations into the politician himself over alleged payments from pro-Russian and Chinese sources. Mr Krah denies any wrongdoing.

    Days earlier, Petr Bystron, the second name on the AfD list, denied allegations that he received cash from the Voice of Europe website, alleged by European intelligence to have been a front for Russian intelligence.

    But the allegations go well beyond the AfD.

    Two German nationals of Russian origin have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to sabotage Germany’s military aid to Ukraine while three Germans have been detained for allegedly planning to pass on advanced engine designs to Chinese intelligence.

    “It is really unusual to have detentions of three networks [allegedly] engaged in some sort of espionage for Russia and China coming almost at the same time,” said Noura Chalati, a research fellow at the Leibniz Centre for the Modern Orient.

    In all three espionage cases, the efforts of Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency are believed to have been crucial.

    “Our security authorities… have massively strengthened their counter-espionage efforts,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

    The arrests came hard on the heels of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s return from wide-ranging talks with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

    ‘Arrest always a political decision’

    Andrei Soldatov, an expert on the Russian security services, believes the case of the Russian-German pair could reflect a desire by the Kremlin escalate attacks on aid to Ukraine.

    “It is just a completely new level of escalation,” Mr Soldatov told the BBC. “These people [allegedly] collected information to help organise sabotage operations against military facilities on German soil.”

    Meanwhile, Roderich Kiesewetter, a former German Army officer who is now an opposition MP, alleged China was seeking to gain access to advanced research that could be useful for military or other purposes.

    “China sees opportunities to exploit Germany’s openness to access our knowledge and technology,” he told the BBC.

    Even so, Andrei Soldatov believes Berlin is putting down a marker.

    “An arrest is always a political decision,” he says.

    “Counter-intelligence agencies in all countries prefer not to arrest people because it’s better to follow them and monitor their activities in order to learn more about their networks and their activities.”

    One reason the political decision may have been taken is that Germany’s adversaries – particularly Russia – have appeared increasingly keen to publicly humiliate Berlin as it has become more assertive in its foreign relations.

    A particular low point was the leaking in March by Russian sources of a phone call between top generals discussing supplying long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

    Months earlier a high-ranking official in Germany’s BND foreign intelligence service called Carsten L went on trial, accused of leaking classified information to the Russians in exchange for payments of some €400,000 (£343,000).

    Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace expressed the frustration of many allies when he said Germany was “pretty penetrated by Russian intelligence” and “neither secure nor reliable”.

    Roderich Kiesewetter says he worries about allies viewing Germany as untrustworthy. “We need to be a favoured partner,” he told the BBC. “We cannot afford a German-free secret services co-operation.”

    Very public crackdowns on suspected spies may be one way to send a signal to friend and foe alike that Berlin is taking security seriously.

    The BND and BfV said they did not comment on ongoing operations. The interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

    Legacy of history

    Germany’s intelligence agencies have long been frustrated by more extensive restrictions on how they can act than many of their counterparts in other Western countries.

    In part, that is a legacy of communist rule in the former East Germany – widely considered one of the most surveilled societies in history. It is estimated that one in 6.5 East Germans was an informant for the secret police, known as the Stasi.

    When the extent of Stasi spying was revealed following the fall of the Berlin Wall, strong legal limits on the intelligence services were imposed.

    Revellers at the Brandenburg Gate stand on top of a remnant of the Berlin Wall, as they celebrate the first New Year in a unified Berlin since World War II on 31 December 1989

    Revellers at the Brandenburg Gate celebrate the first New Year in a unified Berlin since World War Two [Thierry Monasse/Getty Images]

    These restrictions largely remain, although some have since been weakened.

    Human rights advocates see those limitations as a good thing that protects citizens’ right to privacy. But the intelligence services have long complained they are unable to act effectively because of the controls on their behaviour.

    Last year, two former heads of the BND wrote: “The German intelligence services, particularly the BND, now suffer from excessive oversight.”

    Some in the intelligence services see the recent high-profile arrests as a way of highlighting the extent of hostile foreign infiltration in Germany – and as a chance of boosting their argument for more powers.

    The extent of this infiltration, says Mr Kiesewetter, is in part a legacy of political “naivety” that followed the end of the Cold War.

    “Since 1990, there was the idea that Germany is surrounded by friends.”

    Leaders were focused on business deals, including with autocratic countries such as Russia, and took their eye off national security, he explained.

    ‘Not asleep any more’

    Rafael Loss of the European Council on Foreign Relations is more specific about what went wrong.

    German intelligence entirely wound down a unit dedicated to counter-intelligence in 2002 under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

    “It is remarkable that this entire unit of roughly 60 people was completely disbanded,” Mr Loss says.

    But things are changing. The BfV’s staffing has doubled in the past 10 years. The recent spate of detentions shows that the intelligence services are becoming more assertive in a country whose political culture has traditionally been wary of them.

    “All the arrests at once send a good signal to the nations that spy on us,” said Felix Neumann of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

    “Germany is awake and not asleep any more.”

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  • German far-right lawmaker whose assistant was arrested for spying for China keeps up election bid

    German far-right lawmaker whose assistant was arrested for spying for China keeps up election bid

    BERLIN (AP) — A prominent German far-right lawmaker said Wednesday that he will dismiss an assistant who was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, but will remain the Alternative for Germany party’s top candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections.

    Maximilian Krah‘s assistant, Jian Guo, was arrested Monday. Prosecutors accuse Guo — a German national who had worked for Krah since his election to the European Union legislature in 2019 — of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of repeatedly passing on information on negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament in January.

    Prosecutors allege that he also snooped on Chinese dissidents in Germany. On Tuesday night, a judge ordered Guo held in custody pending a possible indictment.

    The arrest cast an unflattering light on the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which already faced criticism for having Russia-friendly positions. The European Parliament elections will take place June 9 in Germany.

    Krah said Wednesday he had held “a very friendly and constructive, but appropriately serious” meeting with the party’s leaders. Now that Guo has been ordered kept in custody, “I will dismiss the employee concerned today,” he said.

    “I am very much interested in clearing this up, and will endeavor to find out what exactly he is accused of,” Krah said, adding that his office would work to “reconstruct everything” Guo worked on.

    Krah conceded that “the election campaign is, of course, being terribly overshadowed by this matter.” He said that, as a result, he won’t appear at AfD’s official opening campaign rally Saturday in the southwestern town of Donaueschingen.

    “But if you think this the end of me as the lead candidate, I must disappoint you,” he told reporters. “I am and remain the top candidate; what this is about now is refocusing the election campaign on European issues and getting away from this very unpleasant matter.”

    Krah said there was no wrongdoing on his own part.

    News of Guo’s arrest came a day after three Germans suspected of spying for China and arranging to transfer information on technology with potential military uses were arrested in a separate case.

    Also on Monday, British prosecutors said a former researcher working in the U.K. Parliament and another man were charged with spying for China.

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  • German MEP aide suspected of spying for China remanded in custody

    German MEP aide suspected of spying for China remanded in custody

    An aide to a far-right German member of the European Parliament Maximilian Krah has been remanded in custody on suspicion of spying for China, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe announced on Wednesday.

    An investigating judge issued an arrest warrant against Krah’s aide, according to a spokeswoman for the office. The aide is charged with acting as an agent for a foreign secret service.

    According to the federal prosecutor’s office, the aide is alleged to have passed on information from the European Parliament to China.

    Federal prosecutors reported the arrest in Dresden on Tuesday, without linking the arrest to Krah, who is the AfD’s top candidate in upcoming European elections. Prosecutors said the suspect had also spied on Chinese opposition members in Germany.

    Krah is a member of committees on international trade, as well as the subcommittees on human rights and security and defence, and is also part of a delegation for relations with the US.

    Prosecutors said the suspect was detained by police in Dresden, in the state of Saxony on Monday. The accused’s flats were searched.

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