The Former Neo-Nazi Activists Behind Germany’s Rising Far-Right Star
WELT found four former HDJ members in Ulrich Siegmund’s circle, including two key advisers and two manifesto drafters, despite AfD rules banning them.
6 Articles
6 Articles
Ahead of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is facing criticism due to the neo-Nazi past of close associates. Despite their connections to the banned HDJ (Homeland Security Youth), he defends them.
Close associates of the AfD's lead candidate, Siegmund, were active in the neo-Nazi organization HDJ, which was banned in 2009. WELT investigations reveal that they viewed National Socialism positively. Siegmund refers to them as "outstanding people."
Ulrich Siegmund, the rising star of Germany's far right, electrifies crowds and rattles Berlin
The lead candidate in the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, scheduled for September 6, could allow the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to govern a German state for the first time since the founding of the Federal Republic. Behind his polished and appealing exterior, this former air freshener salesman champions a radical platform.
The closest advisers to the candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, who could become the party's first candidate to win an election, were members of a banned neo-Nazi organization. The candidate calls the advisers all "outstanding" people.
Four politicians formerly associated with the neo-Nazi organization Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend (HDJ), banned by the German government, now hold important positions within the entourage of Ulrich Siegmund, leader of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt. Following the September elections, the politician could become the first far-right prime minister in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.
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- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources lean Right
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