Germany’s far-right AfD’s charm offensive to lure Turkish voters

Far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician and a member of German parliament Maximilian Krah’s last video addressing Turkish-origin voters in Germany raised eyebrows as the party is known for its strict anti-migrant political stance.

Krah is known for saying that “the members of the Nazi paramilitary SS force were not all criminals”.

Krah called Turks “Germany’s brothers in arms” as allegedly demonstrated by the alliance between the Ottoman and German Empires in World War I. He argues that Turks and Germans are still brothers in arms as both nations share NATO membership.

‘Turks are also scared of migrant attacks’

In the video, he mentioned Turks also ‘disturbed’ by the violent crimes committed by migrants.

Die Türkei feiert Tag der Republik. Das ist ein würdiger Anlass, um über die Zukunft der deutsch-türkischen Partnerschaft zu reden. Denn eins ist sicher: Die Türkei wird immer wichtiger, auch für uns. Diese Chancen sollten wir nutzen! Mit diesem Video eröffne ich die Debatte: pic.twitter.com/AqgeUuv3yo

— Dr. Maximilian Krah MdEP (@KrahMax) October 28, 2024

Krah also shared the video with Turkish subtitles.

According to Germany’s anti-refugee Bild daily, Krah remarked: “On the evening of the horrific knife attack in Solingen (that took place in May), I was sitting with my Turkish friends. I saw the fear in their eyes about the state Germany has reached today.”

‘SS members are not all bad’

All nine members of the AfD were expelled from the right-wing Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament in May.

The decision was made following comments by Krah, who said the members of the Nazi paramilitary SS force were “not all criminals.”