The European Parliament's far-right group " Identity and Democracy" (ID) excluded party "Alternative for Germany" (AzG) on Thursday, less than a month before the European Parliament elections. The decision was made following statements by Maximilian Kra, the leading candidate of the AzG, who told an Italian newspaper that the Nazi Waffen SS were "not all criminals".
"The ID Group no longer wishes to be associated with the incidents of Maximilian Kra, head of the AzG list for the European elections,", the ID Group said in a statement.
The SS, or "Schutzstaffel", was the paramilitary force of the Nazis during the Third Reich and played a leading role in the Holocaust.
This is another blow to the "Alternative for Germany" in the last few months. Earlier this week, French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen also distanced himself from the party, deeming it too toxic a partner.
The far-right parties in the European Parliament are currently divided between the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the IS group, led by the "National Movement" of Marine Le Pen. Polls show that nationalist and Eurosceptic parties will win a record number of votes in the upcoming elections.
AzG co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Hrupala said they are taking IS's decision into account, but remain optimistic about the election. "We are confident that we will continue to have reliable partners by our side during the new legislative period," they said.
Support for the German Democratic Party has fallen by about eight points this year, hit by unfavorable court rulings, concerns about its ties to China and Russia and revelations that senior members were involved in talks to deport non-ethnic Germans.
Maximilian Kra, whose aide has been accused of spying for China, has resigned from the governing council of the AzG and vowed not to take part in the election campaign after his comment about the SS, although he is still a candidate for the European elections.
p>In a last-ditch effort to avoid the ouster, the AzG delegation demanded that IS exclude only Kra, blaming his persona for the problems. "We see this as a last-ditch (albeit desperate!) attempt to prevent the expulsion of the entire AzG delegation from the IS parliamentary group," wrote MEP Christine Andersen in a letter to the party's executive board.