Embracing extremism
Just a year ago, things weren’t looking so rosy for the AfD.
Last January, outraged Germans took to the streets in huge numbers to protest against the radical right after an investigative report by Correctiv revealed that AfD politicians had been present at a meeting of right-wing extremists, at which a “master plan” to deport migrants and “unassimilated citizens” en masse was discussed. The attendees euphemistically dubbed the plot “remigration.”
The sustained protest movement, which drew millions in cities across the country, appeared to damage the AfD — leading many Germans to question whether the demonstrators had put a halt to the party’s rise. Even France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen moved to distance herself from the AfD, if only in a bid to depict her own party as more palatable for French voters.
But for AfD leaders, Donald Trump could redefine America’s role in the world and become a close ally. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images
A year later, however, the AfD has largely recovered, and is approaching the record-high polling numbers it enjoyed before the protest movement. During that time, Trump was elected on a platform that included a promise to carry out mass deportations.
In an illustration of how extremist ideas can rapidly become normal with a little rhetorical resonance from the party’s friends across the Atlantic, the AfD’s national leaders, who used to avoid uttering the word “remigration” in light of the controversy, are now fully embracing the term.
During her speech at the AfD convention, Weidel vowed to seal Germany’s borders and enact “large-scale repatriations” once in power.
“I have to tell you quite honestly: If it’s to be called remigration, then it’s just called remigration,” Weidel declared to spirited applause.