Members of the far-left Antifa activist group have published the private addresses of candidates standing for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the German state of Hesse and encouraged protesters to “challenge” them in places where they feel safe.
The self-proclaimed anti-fascist group launched a website specifically for the campaign with an interactive map detailing the private residences of 40 AfD politicians, as well as providing the locations of event rooms and restaurants where the party’s representatives convene.
“The site is intended to encourage Antifas in Hesse to stop the AfD, which is currently becoming stronger again,” the far-left activist group said in a statement as it encouraged its members to “use the information” they have been given.
“With the following publication, we want to give an insight into the state list of the Hessian AfD and shed more light on the party’s politicians.
“Together with you, we want to challenge them for the spaces in which they move as a matter of course, feel unmolested, and think they are safe. Whether in a restaurant, club, or workplace: Anyone who wants to exclude, lock up, or dispose of others because of a racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, and anti-queer worldview should not complain about resistance and exclusion,” the statement added.
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Politicians from the hardline anti-immigration party, which has been surging in both local and national polls across Germany, responded to the disturbing campaign with co-state chairman Andreas Lichert claiming it is “nothing more than a cryptic call for intimidation and violence against AfD politicians.”
“Imagine what would be going on in the country if political extremists did something like that with candidates from other parties,” he added.
The AfD has filed a complaint against the campaign and called on state security to get the site shut down.
Violence against politicians in Germany is not uncommon, and last year alone there were 1,398 reported crimes against elected officials or political candidates. Attacks from both left-wing and right-wing activists were reported; Green Party candidates were the most affected with 399 cases, followed by the SPD and the AfD, with 386 and 321 cases, respectively.
Last year, an AfD mayoral candidate in the city of Rostock, Michael Meister, was attacked three times, including having his car windows smashed and tires slashed by far-left activists, while the home of Augsburg AfD politician Gabrielle Mailbeck was also targeted with graffiti.
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In January, Marc-Manuel Kunstmann, the chairman of the AfD district group in Hamburg-Mitte, was viciously attacked by two men as he rode the bus home; he posted graphic photos of his injuries on social media, which included a cut lip, facial bruises and several cracked teeth.
In 2020 and 2021, AfD politicians were the most frequently attacked.
State elections in Hesse will take place on Oct. 8, and the surge in support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has the country’s mainstream political parties looking over their shoulder. Prime Minister Boris Rhein’s ruling CDU is currently leading the polls with 25 percent, followed by the AfD and SPD with 20 percent.
