Potsdam, Germany – A proposal by Brandenburg‘s Minister-President dietmar Woidke (SPD) to reassess the political firewall against the far-right Alternative for germany (AfD) has ignited a fierce debate across the German political spectrum, with the newly formed BSW party voicing support and established parties largely condemning the initiative. Woidke suggested a willingness to engage with AfD members who demonstrably distance themselves from extremist views, sparking accusations of political maneuvering and compromising democratic principles.
The debate centers on whether the AfD,currently classified as right-wing extremist by Brandenburg’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution,can undergo a genuine transformation allowing for potential cooperation. Woidke’s move comes after the AfD achieved a new high in recent polls, as reported by Welt, and following his own accomplished re-election campaign where he explicitly linked his future to defeating the AfD in the 2024 state election.
BSW support for Woidke’s initiative was expressed with the sentiment, “We welcome it when the senseless firewall finally comes down.” conversely, the AfD itself dismissed the notion of needing to change, with state chairman René Springer asserting, “There are no extremists in the AfD. We are a democratic party.” He characterized Woidke’s proposal as a “transparent attempt to ‘get rid of the unsympathetic image of the firewall, but simultaneously occurring justify the firewall.'”
Within the SPD, skepticism is rife. Bundestag member Ralf Stegner told Spiegel that any exclusion of extremists from the AfD would leave the party hollow, stating, “as anyone who tolerates such leaders is themselves an extremist. Woidke’s subjunctive is thus unrealistic.” Fellow SPD Bundestag member maja Wallstein, representing Cottbus, emphasized the AfD’s election of “extremists to its highest offices,” rendering cooperation unthinkable. Bavaria’s SPD leader Sebastian Roloff affirmed the importance of Woidke’s stated opposition to cooperation with right-wing extremists, while also questioning the practicality of the AfD excluding a critically important portion of its membership to appear more moderate.
The left party sharply criticized Woidke, with state chairwoman Katharina Slanina accusing him of “losing touch with reality.” Green Party state leader Clemens Rostock echoed this sentiment. The controversy underscores the deep divisions within Germany regarding how to address the rising influence of the AfD and the boundaries of acceptable political engagement.