The CEO of the German chemical company "Evonik Industries" criticized the strengthening of ties between medium-sized enterprises and the far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD), DPA reported, BTA reported.
"There is a tendency, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises, to join the positions of the AfD", said Christian Kuhlmann in an interview with the German magazine "Spiegel". "I think this is catastrophic and I call on the industrial sector as a whole to clearly state: we do not support them", Kuhlmann stressed.
He indicated that he was "worried and really angry" of the situation surrounding the anti-immigrant AfD party, which has become the largest opposition party in Germany, despite being investigated by domestic intelligence services for its extremist views.
"Many voters now prefer an authoritarian purge to a democratic discourse," said Kuhlmann, 56, whose company had sales of 15.2 billion euros in 2024 and employs more than 30,000 people.
One reason for this development is the fear of loss of prosperity and social decline, Kuhlmann believes. "That is why it is so important to strengthen our industry," he added.
The German industrialist made the comment a few weeks after the "Family Entrepreneurs" (Die Familienunternehmer) association invited representatives of the AfD to a reception in Berlin.