European Parliament Far-right Alliance Ousts Germany’s AfD Party Over Controversial SS Soldier Remarks

A coalition of far-right parties in the European Parliament has kicked out Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party. This decision came after their top candidate made controversial remarks about Nazi SS soldiers from World War II.

The Bureau of the Identity and Democracy Group in the European Parliament, also known as the ID Group, announced on Thursday that they have expelled the AfD delegation from Germany with immediate effect.

“The ID Group no longer wants to be associated with the incidents involving Maximilian KRAH, head of the AfD list for the European elections,” it said.

A German court ruled on Monday that the country’s domestic intelligence service is allowed to place the country’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party under surveillance due to suspected extremism.

A German court decided on Monday that the country's intelligence service can monitor the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party for potential extremism.

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Germany's court has ruled that the far-right AfD party can be monitored. Krah, who is the leading candidate for the AfD in the upcoming European elections, has been prohibited from making public appearances by his party. This decision came after he made controversial remarks about Nazi SS soldiers in an Italian newspaper called La Repubblica.

In a newspaper interview, Krah stated that he prefers to understand the actions of individuals before labeling them as criminals. He mentioned that among the 900 thousand SS men, there were individuals from diverse backgrounds, including farmers. While there were certainly criminals among them, not everyone who wore the SS uniform should be automatically considered a criminal.

The SS, also known as Schutzstaffel, played a significant role as a paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler during World War II. Their main responsibility was guarding the concentration camps during that time.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced that her party, National Rassemblement (RN), will no longer be part of the same parliamentary group as the AfD after the upcoming elections.

The AfD stated on Wednesday that Krah's controversial remarks have greatly harmed the party during the current election campaign, with the candidate being the reason for this damage.

The statement mentioned that Krah admitted to his actions and has decided to resign from the AfD’s federal executive board immediately.

CNN’s James Frater reported from London, Nadine Schmidt and Seb Shukla from Berlin, and Barbie Nadeau from Rome.

Editor's P/S:

The expulsion of the AfD from the European Parliament's far-right ID Group is a significant development, exposing the growing divisions within the