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Gauland leaves party convention prematurely: violent criticism of Meuthen
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The leader of the Gauland group is transported in an ambulance
The leader of the AfD parliamentary group, Alexander Gauland, left the federal party conference prematurely. The 79-year-old man was not well. WELT reporter Jens Reupert reports on the background.
“Are you crazy?” Party leader Jörg Meuthen’s criticism of “right-wing provocateurs” led to heated discussions at the AfD party congress. The leader of the group, Alexander Gauland, had to leave the event surprisingly.
reThe AfD party conference held in Kalkar on Sunday controversially debated for nearly two hours the appearance of party leader Jörg Meuthen the day before. Before that, there was an incident: the chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, Alexander Gauland, had to leave the federal party conference early.
A spokesman said the 79-year-old honorary president had a small vein burst in his nose. According to information from party circles, Gauland left the premises in an ambulance. At Gauland’s request, co-parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel gave the party congress “a warm greeting from the hospital.” “Okay, okay,” Weidel said.
Gauland had also harshly criticized the party’s chairman, Jörg Meuthen, on Saturday after he delivered a controversial speech.
Meuthen had said, among other things, that there was no “Crown dictatorship” in Germany and probably also referred to Gauland, who had spoken of a “Crown dictatorship by revocation” in a speech in the Bundestag. The critic said again in an interview in Kalkar that he does not need “any censorship from Jörg Meuthen for the leadership of the parliamentary group.”
There was also strong criticism from delegates on Sunday, for example from Brandenburg. “We need courageous and friendly leadership,” said Birgit Bessin, who spoke for the regional association there, which cannot be seen in Meuthen. Meuthen had misused the scenario “for accounting”, possibly because he could not assert himself with his proposals for a pension concept.
“Are you crazy?” Asked Norbert Kleinwächter, a member of the Bundestag, from Brandenburg. Instead of starting a public debate about the party leader, possible criticisms should be discussed internally.
Meuthen himself, meanwhile, defended his deal with right-wing provocateurs in his own ranks. “That was a call to order for the party that seemed necessary to me,” Meuthen told the Phoenix broadcaster on Sunday of his speech at the party’s federal conference in Kalkar the day before. The fact that there are boos as well as applause, “that’s how it is when you give a speech that you might classify as a fiery speech.”
Meuthen heard “more applause” than disapproval.
There was “significantly more applause” than expressions of disapproval, Meuthen said. The AfD must present its concerns “in an appropriate tone”. With a “roll over” he damages his own cause. If there is a “general lack of discipline, a call to order should be issued.” You think it’s okay to have talked like that.
Meuthen had harshly criticized right-wing provocateurs in the AfD on Saturday. He cautioned about the comparisons between NS in the Corona debate and the proximity to the “lateral thinking” movement. Among other things, Meuthen did not consider it wise to speak of a “dictatorship of the Crown.” This was also directed against the leader of the AfD parliamentary group, Alexander Gauland, who had used the term in the Bundestag. Gauland called the speech “divisive.”
Regarding the protection of the Constitution, Meuthen said that he considers it a “politically instrumentalized authority that has the firm intention of putting us under observation.” So the AfD should not make the mistake of “giving them arguments for free.” He announced that the AfD would “take all legal measures” against possible observation by the entire party.
Regarding the role of right-wing Thuringian Björn Höcke, Meuthen said he was a “pure state politician” and should “keep the ball a little flatter.”
The pension concept is already decided
The party conference continued on Sunday. An application certifying that Jörg Meuthen had “divisive behavior” was ultimately not put to a vote. More than 20 speakers in total took the floor. One part of them protested against Meuthen, the other part accused him of behavior detrimental to the party.
Actually, the second and last day should be mainly about organizational matters, such as changes in electoral, financial and contribution regulations. On Saturday, the more than 500 delegates had already decided on a socio-political concept that provides for a more flexible retirement and aims to avoid poverty in old age among people who have been active for many years.
