Germany’s far-right AfD sends out mock plane tickets for migrants
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AfD leader Alice Weidel has explicitly called for the “remigration” of foreigners, and her party's “Deportation Ticket” stunt is being compared to a similar campaign in 1930s Germany by the Nazis.
PHOTOS: EPA-EFE, X/@CLASHREPORT
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BERLIN – German police said on Jan 14 they are investigating after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party distributed election campaign fliers in the style of one-way plane tickets to send migrants home.
The fliers are labelled “Deportation Ticket” and feature the passenger name as “Illegal Immigrant” and the destination as “Safe Country of Origin”.
AfD campaign demands – such as cutting benefits for non-Germans and an end to “Islamisation” – are also listed on the fliers distributed in the south-western city of Karlsruhe.
Several migrants have posted on social media about receiving the tickets over the past few days, although the AfD has denied specifically sending them to foreigners.
The campaign has sparked a backlash in Germany, with critics comparing the stunt to the one-way tickets to Jerusalem that were distributed by the Nazis in the 1930s.
A Karlsruhe police spokesman told AFP an investigation had been launched into the possible charge of incitement to hatred after a tip-off from a member of the public.
The AfD in Karlsruhe said the fliers were being distributed in the city in “as large a number as possible and without any special requirements or restrictions”.
“It is intended to bring our demands in this area, which are fully in line with the law, to the attention of the voters,” it said.
The AfD has been buoyed ahead of Germany’s election on Feb 23
One survey at the weekend had the party polling at 22 per cent, just eight points behind the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union conservatives who are widely expected to lead the next government.
Emboldened by the support of Mr Musk, the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House and events in neighbouring Austria – where the far right is on the brink of power – the AfD has been sharpening its rhetoric as the election campaign heats up.
At a party congress last weekend, the AfD’s top candidate, Dr Alice Weidel, explicitly called for the “remigration” of foreigners.
Mr Marcel Bauer, a parliamentary candidate for the far-left Left Party accused the AfD of using “fascist methods to incite hatred”.
“This threat against our fellow citizens must have consequences,” he said. AFP
