Far-Right Parties Face Internal Division Over Nazi References
A growing controversy surrounding references to Nazi Germany is causing disruption within far-right political circles in Europe, prompting a realignment of alliances and raising questions about the boundaries of acceptable political discourse. The situation highlights the challenges these parties face in navigating their historical legacies and maintaining cohesion.
The latest fallout centers on Maximilian Krah, a leading figure in Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD). Krah recently stated that determining whether members of the SS were “criminals” requires individual assessment, referencing the fact that Günter Grass, a German novelist, was also a member of the Waffen SS. “It depends. You have to assess blame individually. At the end of the war there were almost a million SS. Günter Grass was also in the Waffen SS,” he told La Repubblica and the Financial Times. “Before I declare someone a criminal, I want to know what he did.”
The SS, a Nazi paramilitary group, played a central role in the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity during World War II. Krah’s comments sparked immediate condemnation, particularly from France’s National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen. Le Pen announced on May 22, 2024, that the RN would no longer sit with the AfD in the European Parliament, calling for a “cordon sanitaire” – a rejection of cooperation with extremist movements.
“It’s time to make a clean break with this movement,” Le Pen said, according to reports. The move represents a significant rift between the “old” and “new” right in Europe, with some parties distancing themselves from explicit or tacit connections to the Third Reich.
This isn’t an isolated incident. In April, Björn Höcke, the AfD leader in the state of Thuringia, was fined for using a slogan associated with Nazi stormtroopers. The AfD’s increasing focus on themes related to the Third Reich has been noted by observers, and this latest controversy appears to be accelerating a broader realignment within the European far-right.
The expulsion of the AfD faction from the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament, initiated by Le Pen, underscores the growing tensions. The situation also recalls earlier connections between Le Pen’s party, formerly the Front National, and collaborationists from the Waffen SS’s Division Charlemagne.
In February, Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD, met with RN leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella in an attempt to mend the rift between their parties, but Krah’s recent remarks have seemingly extinguished those efforts. Historian Timothy Ryback noted that “Hitler serait parfaitement à l’aise dans le monde d’aujourd’hui” – Hitler would be perfectly at home in today’s world – highlighting concerns about the resurgence of extremist ideologies. The development underscores the challenges facing mainstream political parties in responding to the growing influence of far-right movements and their increasingly provocative rhetoric.
