After Alexander Eichwald’s much-discussed appearance at the founding event of the new AfD youth organization Generation Germany (GD) in Giessen, the AfD in Herford withdrew him from its parliamentary group in the local city council.
Bielefeld AfD member of the Bundestag Maximilian Kneller said this to the German Press Agency. According to him, preparations are also underway in the AfD district association for party expulsion proceedings against Eichwald.
The speech in the video:
Video: watson/x
He had only been in the AfD for a few weeks. Hardly anyone knows him, said Kneller. “And those who knew him say that he never rolled the R.” He has behaved inconspicuously so far.
This suggests that his appearance in Giessen was an action, whether on his own initiative or on behalf of a third party is speculation. The AfD immediately agreed and was doing everything it could “to get rid of him wherever possible.”
The city of Herford in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia updated its information about Eichwald on the city council’s website on Monday: Since the newly elected city parliament was constituted a few weeks ago, he has been listed there as a member of the AfD parliamentary group. Since this Monday he has been serving on several committees as a non-attached, informed citizen.
The Herford AfD district chairman Alexander Parteck told the broadcaster “Welt” with regard to the interview with Eichwald before he was accepted into the AfD a few weeks ago that there was nothing suspicious there. “He acted completely normal and didn’t roll the R either.” He behaved completely differently on stage.
Waving finger and Hitler tone
Eichwald had applied for a board position in Generation Germany in Giessen, Hesse. In his application speech, he waved his finger and rolled right-wing slogans with a rolling “R”. The tone and style of the performance was reminiscent of Nazi Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Since then, there has been a big discussion within the AfD and online about whether this was a targeted action.
Eichwald addressed the participants as “party comrades” and “national comrades” and shouted into the hall: “We share our love and loyalty to Germany together” and “it is and remains our national duty to protect German culture from foreign influences”.
People who advocate that children born in Germany are automatically German would “never say about a pig that was born in a cowshed (…), yes, it is a cow and not a pig.” (dab/sda/dpa)