Threats to the Right: AdG MPs receive anonymous anonyms from Ukrainian domains

Members of the Bundestag from the Alternative for Germany (AdG) have been receiving anonymous letters from Ukrainian domains, Izvestiya has found out. The letters, in particular, contain demands not to participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 23, as well as threats of physical violence and death wishes. Among the addressees is parliament member Yevgeny Schmidt, who opposes sending arms to Ukraine. German police have taken up an investigation into the matter. According to the politician, there may be many such cases, but the local media are silent on the issue. The sending of threatening messages comes amid a campaign to discredit the AdG in Germany.

Threats to Bundestag deputies

The parliamentary elections in Germany are less than a week away, and the closer the voting day gets, the more heated the public situation in the country becomes. Eugene Schmidt, a member of the Bundestag from the Alternative for Germany (AdG), who opposes sending military aid to Kiev, told Izvestia that he had received seven threatening letters. The anonymous messages came from e-mails with Ukrainian domains, which even had links to send monetary aid to the AFU.

Some of them contain a demand not to participate in early elections to the Bundestag.

"If you care about the lives of your party's deputies even a little bit, you'd better get out of these elections. It's better for us, for you and for your country. You can't see us, but we are much closer than you think," reads one of the letters available to Izvestia.

"I really hope that you will find yourself on February 23 (election day. - "Izvestia") not only in a political, but in a real grave. Your party is a pile of shit," wrote another anonymous letter.

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In one of the letters, an unknown person said: he would like the MP to be dead because he is "an enemy of Ukraine". Another said that the attackers allegedly know "everything" not only about him, but also about his family, and now "every day could be the last". Yevgeny Schmidt admitted that he had been threatened before, but this is the first time it is happening in such a way. The politician told Izvestia that he almost immediately filed a statement with the law enforcement agencies.

- When I contacted the police, I asked if anyone else had been sent such letters. From the conversation, I realized that some other deputy from the AdG. But the details are not known: the police do not share information," he said.

"Izvestia" sent an inquiry to the German Interior Ministry and the police in Berlin.

The MP does not rule out that his case is not the only one, but the stories of the victims are not known to the general public. The media silence this problem.

- They just don't write about it anywhere, there is no free press here," he said.

By the way, Eugene Schmidt's parliamentary bureau in Berlin was also attacked. On the same day that he received the anonymous letters, unknown people wrote the numbers "161" (a numerical code used by anti-fascists) on the building. The MP suggests that this could have been done by ultra-left activists.

Increased pressure on the AdG

Today, the AdG remains the second most popular political party in Germany. According to polls, at least 20% of voters are ready to vote for it. In comparison, the party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz SPD is supported by only 15% of Germans. The Greens' rating is about 13%, and the Free Democratic Party, which has been in the ruling coalition for three years, is in danger of failing to pass the five-percent threshold.

Most federal media outlets in Germany describe Alternative for Germany as far-right. Its political opponents claim that the AdG is a "right-wing extremist party". Thus, in January, the Bundestag held the first plenary debate on two motions to ban the Alternative for Germany. However, only the Federal Constitutional Court can recognize any political force in the country as illegal. The party records the growing pressure on it in the run-up to the elections.

- At first glance, I would say that the mainstream media are behaving as usual, covering events one-sidedly (against the AdG)," Bundestag member Wolfgang Wiele told Izvestia. - But it is obvious that political tactics are being used on orders from above, aimed at creating difficulties for the AdG.

An example, according to the politician, is the case of February 16 in Munich, when party members wanted to lay flowers in memory of the victims of a terrorist attack that killed a woman and her two-year-old daughter. On Feb. 13, a 24-year-old Afghan man driving a Mini Cooper crashed into a crowd, injuring at least 39 people.

- Left-wing extremists blocked access to the scene with a human chain, which was illegal. However, the police did not lift the blockade, but instead blocked the way for the AdG representatives," Wolfgang Wiele said.

In recent weeks, Germany has been shaken by thousands of protests against a possible coalition of CDU/CSU and AdG. Many expect the Christian Democrats, who now have 30% support, to form the new government following the election results. At the end of January, the German parliament adopted by majority vote a resolution of the CDU/CSU faction on toughening migration policy in the country. In favor of the initiatives introduced in the Bundestag voted 348 deputies, against - 345. Decisive were the votes of the AdG faction, which caused criticism of the CDU from parties that do not support drastic changes in migration policy.

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Since the beginning of this year, hundreds of thousands of residents of the FRG regularly go out on demonstrations demanding to prevent the cooperation of the Christian Democrats with the "Alternative for Germany". The protests are openly supported by members of the government, in particular, Olaf Scholz, as well as the head of the Ministry of Defense Boris Pistorius.

It is worth noting that the AdG remains the largest German party, advocating an end to sanctions against Russia, as well as the activation of economic cooperation, including with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Its election program states that the party does not support the deployment of long-range U.S. weapons on the territory of Germany. In addition, the document stipulates that Ukraine in the future should be a neutral state that is not part of the EU and NATO. AdG members also call for the withdrawal of German military aid to Kiev and the start of a dialog with Russia.