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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 chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, Alexander Gauland, left the federal AfD party conference in Kalkar on Sunday, according to friends of the party.
As confirmed by a member of the party executive from the German Press Agency, the 79-year-old was not feeling well in the morning. But it’s no so bad. A spokesperson said the honorary president had a small vein in his nose. According to information from partisan circles, Gauland left the premises in an ambulance accompanied by two vehicles with Berlin plates.
Gauland had harshly criticized party chairman Jörg Meuthen on Saturday, the first day of the party’s two-day federal conference, after he attacked Gauland’s choice of words in a speech.
Meuthen had said, among other things, that there was no “Crown dictatorship” in Germany and probably also referred to Gauland, who spoke of a “Crown dictatorship by revocation” in a speech in the Bundestag. The much criticized one again said 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 leadership that is courageous and friendly,” said Birgit Bessin, who spoke for the regional association there, which cannot be seen in Meuthen. Meuthen 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, which I felt was necessary,” Meuthen told the Phoenix broadcaster on Sunday about his speech at the party’s federal conference in Kalkar the day before. The fact that in addition to the applause there were also boos, “that’s how it is when you give a speech that you might qualify 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” you are damaging your 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 NS comparisons in the Corona debate and the proximity to the “lateral thinking” movement. Among other things, Meuthen did not consider it prudent 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 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 the right-wing Thuringian Björn Höcke, Meuthen said he was a “pure state politician” and that he should “keep the ball a little flatter.”
The pension concept is already decided
The party conference continued on Sunday. Among other things, it could vote on a motion by the Friborg district executive, asking the party’s federal congress to disapprove of the “divisive behavior” of Meuthen and his supporters. The party congress must also determine “that the fall in favor of the voters is causally related to it.”
Actually, the second and last day should be mainly about organizational matters, such as changes in the electoral, financial and listing 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 prevent poverty in old age among people with long-term employment.
