German far-right propagating Russia’s narratives, spy chief claims

BERLIN

Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is propagating Russia’s narratives, the country’s domestic intelligence chief said on Monday.

“We already observe that the AfD, or parts of the AfD, contribute significantly to promoting extremism in Germany, and spreading hatred and incitement,” Thomas Haldenwang told public television ARD.

“Russian narratives are also disseminated from parts of the AfD, this also contributes to expansion of right-wing extremism in Germany, and people in these circles sing from (Russian President) Putin’s song sheet,” he added.

Haldenwang said Russia is trying to legitimize its war against Ukraine by blaming the West, arguing that its own security interests have been violated, and such messages were disseminated one-on-one by the AfD politicians in Germany.

“In this respect, there is no longer a need for Russian media,” Haldenwang said, adding that by the AfD politicians, Russia’s propaganda is already reaching large parts of the population.

The AfD currently has 78 lawmakers in the federal parliament, and it is polling around 17% in recent surveys.

Leading figures of the party have fiercely opposed the German government’s decision to deliver weapons to Ukraine, sharply criticized Western sanctions against Russia, and argued that ending energy imports from Russia was against Germany’s national interests.

The party entered the parliament for the first time in 2017, taking more than 12% of the votes.