Embracing extremism
Barely a year ago, things were not so rosy for the AfD.
Last January, outraged Germans took to the streets in large numbers to protest against the radical right after an investigative report by Correctiv revealed that AfD politicians were present at a meeting of right-wing extremists , during which a “master plan” for the expulsion of migrants and “unassimilated citizens” was discussed en masse. Participants euphemistically dubbed the plot “remigration.”
The sustained protest movement, which drew millions of people to cities across the country, appeared to hurt the AfD – leading many Germans to question whether the protesters had halted the party’s rise. Even French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has distanced herself from the AfD, if only in an effort to present her own party as more acceptable to French voters.
A year later, however, the AfD has largely recovered and is closing in on the record poll numbers it enjoyed before the protest movement. At that time, Trump was elected on a platform that included a promise to carry out mass deportations.
Illustration of how extremist ideas can quickly become normalized, with a bit of rhetorical resonance from the party’s friends across the Atlantic, the AfD’s national leaders, who once eschewed the euphemism “remigration” in favor of light of the controversy, now fully embrace the term. .
During her speech at the AfD congress, Weidel pledged to seal Germany’s borders and carry out “large-scale repatriations” once in power.
“I have to tell you in all honesty: If this is to be called remigration, then it is simply called remigration,” Weidel said to loud applause.
