Crashed party spirals downward - Does Krah's SS interview threaten to split AfD?
France's right-wing party "Rassemblement National" ends its partnership with the AfD, and Krah is banned from appearing. This is due to a controversial interview he gave in Italian newspaper "La Repubblica".
The issue: Krah defends members of the SS, Nazi Germany's 'Schutzstaffel', who were responsible for terror, torture, and murder in concentration camps.
"It's okay if Germans are proud of their ancestry, even if they were SS officers"
In the published interview over the weekend, the subject of Germans being proud of their ancestors was brought up. Krah responded: "That depends on what they did."
The interviewer interjected: "The members of the SS were war criminals."
Krah replied: "You need to evaluate guilt individually."
"Not all of them were criminals"
Krah mentioned his wife's relatives, who would have joined the SS in Hungary to avoid being drafted into the Hungarian army. He then clarified that he wasn't concerned with individual cases but more with political individuals who appeared to be righteous in SS uniforms. "There were plenty of farmers among the 900,000 SS men, and there was a high percentage of criminals. But not all of them were criminals. I will never claim that everyone who wore an SS uniform was automatically a criminal."
"Trivialization of SS crimes and a slap in the face to France"
Trivializing the horrific crimes committed by the SS, which culminated in the hellish death machine of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and disrespecting France which had vowed 'Never Again' after the end of the Nazi terror regime, created shockwaves throughout Europe. Particularly among former allies.
The "Rassemblement National" party, led by Marine Le Pen, has a radical right-wing background. Although the AfD became increasingly extreme, Le Pen rebranded her "Front national" and opted for more moderate tones. Justifying the unofficial termination, RN leader Jordan Bardella stated: "I believe the AfD has crossed red lines for me."
Explosive: Marine Le Pen also conveyed to the AfD leadership that not only Krah but also numbers two and three on the European election list, Petr Bystron and René Aust, were problematic. The former is suspected of accepting Russian bribes, while the latter is a favorite of the AfD's right-winger Björn Höcke.
In Italy, the governing parties "Fratelli d'Italia" led by Giorgia Meloni and "Lega" led by Matteo Salvini, both far-right, distanced themselves. Hungary's Prime Minister, Victor Orban, had already made it clear earlier that he would cooperate with anyone - except the AfD. With a party where some people like to sing the first verse of the German national anthem again and a "top candidate" has recently championed members of the SS.
Read also:
- Remaining contenders down to two in DFB's struggle versus Brazil.
- Schalke's Transfer Assessment: A Season of Wastefulness
- Shocking development in the NBA!
- Law enforcement agencies in various metropolises plan expansive measures for May 1.
Source: symclub.org
