AfD state leader's Hitler salute raises contradictions; party rifts on nationalism and Stasi stance

According to an investigative report by Politico Europe, the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt, Martin Reichardt, was photographed giving a Nazi salute in 2020. The image captures Reichardt raising his right arm in the Hitler salute during the ceremonial handover of a party membership application. Witnesses described the event as a solemn occasion.

The party's regional branch and Reichardt himself dismissed the gesture as a harmless 'knighting' and a humorous joke. However, investigators uncovered temporal inconsistencies in their defense, casting doubt on this explanation.

The 'Inside AfD' podcast also explores the party's starkly divergent positions on the German national football team. While party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla publicly distance themselves from völkisch statements, other officials such as Björn Höcke openly make racist remarks about the skin color and background of national players. Court rulings have used such statements to support the classification of the AfD as a suspected extremist group.

Another contradictory issue is the AfD's stance on East Germany's past and the Stasi. Although the party leadership often denigrates the modern Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as 'Stasi spies,' a deputy recently met with former East German leader Egon Krenz. Furthermore, a report from Brandenburg indicates that multiple AfD state lawmakers there have documented past contacts with the Stasi.