Leading members of a regional chapter of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) held talks with a highly controversial right-wing extremist at the state parliament in Thuringia on Monday.
Martin Sellner, the head of the Identitarian Movement in Austria, was received by AfD deputy parliamentary leader in Thuringia, Daniel Haseloff.
Images of the meeting in Erfurt shared by the politician on X also show AfD lawmakers Stefan Möller and Robert Teske, who are members of the federal parliament in Berlin.
Haseloff told dpa that discussions centred on the concept of remigration, a term used by far-right extremists to refer to the deportation of large numbers of people of foreign origin from Germany, including by force.
He said they discussed differences in how the concept was applied by Sellner and how it was viewed by the AfD in Thuringia.
In 2024, the AfD distanced itself from Sellner’s views on remigration. The Austrian activist argues that people of foreign origin should be pressured to leave Germany if they fail to assimilate, including those holding German citizenship.
Despite the controversy that surrounds him, Sellner continues to pop up in AfD circles.
A figurehead of Europe’s far-right extremist scene, he was originally due to attend an event organized by AfD lawmaker Lena Kotré in Brandenburg last week. Following headwinds by party leaders, Sellner instead held his address at a separate venue, with Kotré in attendance.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified both the Identitarian Movement and the Thuringia chapter of the AfD as right-wing extremist.