AfD โคYouth Candidate Faces Backlash Over Speech Echoing hitler
Giessen, Germany – A youth candidate for the far-right โคAlternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alexander Eichwald, has sparked widespread outrage after delivering a speech at the AfD youth congress in Giessen that observers likened toโ rhetoric and gestures used by Adolf Hitler. The incident hasโ prompted aโ swift response from โคthe party leadership, โขwho are now reviewing Eichwald’sโฃ membership status.
Eichwald’s speech, accompanied by distinctive hand โคmovements, raised alarm bells even within the AfD itself. The controversy intensified with the online circulation of past material linked to the candidate,including references to theโฃ stage name “Alex Oak” and images from a regional newspaper. Eichwald has denied allegations that the speechโ was a performance art project, maintaining that the content was presented seriously.
AfD party leader Tino Chrupalla stated that Eichwald, a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia โfederation, had deviated from the party’s principles with his โคpresentation. “with the content and โform ofโ his candidacy presentation, Alexander Eichwald distanced himself from the โคparty’s principles,” Chrupalla told the Deutscheโ Presse-Agentur agency. The federal executive has announcedโ a review of Eichwald’s party membership.
The incident occurs amidst internalโ debate regarding the direction of the AfD’s youth wing. While Chrupalla praised the organization’s “professionalization” and stated it should remain “unpleasant,” concerns remain about the new youth leader, โคjean-Pascal โฃHohm, who recently usedโ the term “population exchange” in an interview. chrupalla distanced himself from the phrase,stating,”youโข shouldn’t callโค it that,” while acknowledging Hohm’s “experience.”
Experts warn that despite attempts โat containment, radical elements persist within the AfD โyouth organization.During the congress, candidates including Mio Trautner, Julia Gehrkens, and Cedric Krippner advocated for extreme measures such as accelerating deportations โand the “remigration of โคmillions of people.”
political scientist Christoph Schulze believes Hohm’s election signals aโฃ continuation of the party’s radical stance, while Wolfgang Schroeder notes the new youth โขleadership consists of “the same people” who previously dominated the organization.
The AfD โwas founded in 2013 and has grown to โbecome a meaningful political force in Germany, capitalizing on anti-immigrant sentiment and euroscepticism. the party currently holds seats in the โGerman parliament,the Bundestag,and in several state legislatures. The party has faced โaccusations of extremism and โขracism throughout its history, and its rhetoric often draws comparisons to that ofโฃ the Nazi party.
