AfD Slams 'Malicious' Espionage Accusations, Demands Retraction
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has hit back against recent accusations of espionage, claiming they have been maligned and that their constitutional right to parliamentary questions has been undermined. AfD has demanded a cease-and-desist declaration from the newspaper Handelsblatt, which has been refused, and has taken legal action.
AfD argues that Handelsblatt has failed to verify the allegations and meet basic journalistic standards. The party alleges that Handelsblatt breached journalistic due diligence by publishing the espionage accusations without sufficient evidence. The row began when Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) presented serious allegations against the AfD in the Handelsblatt, suggesting the party could be spying for Russia by abusing parliamentary inquiry rights. Maier stated that there are indications the AfD could be gathering information about critical infrastructure such as transportation, water supply, digital infrastructure, and energy supply. In response to questions from the AfD, Maier emphasized that in Thuringia alone, there were 47 such inquiries in the past 12 months, suggesting a pattern of activity.
Thuringia’s AfD parliamentary group has taken the matter to court, filing an interim injunction application against Handelsblatt at the Berlin Regional Court. The party has called for the dismissal of Interior Minister Georg Maier, with Thuringia’s AfD leader Björn Höcke leading the charge.
The AfD maintains that it is exercising its constitutional right to parliamentary questions and denies any wrongdoing. The party's legal challenge against Handelsblatt is ongoing, and the implications of the espionage allegations remain to be seen. The incident has sparked a political row in Germany, with the AfD accusing the government of attempting to silence political opposition.
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