Berlin: A long-standing member and a former spokesperson of Germany’s far-right political party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) was sacked after reports emerged that he had discussed the gassing or shooting of migrants.
AfD’s Christian Lueth was purportedly heard saying, “We could kill migrants by shooting them, that’s not even an issue. Or we could gas them, whatever you want. I don’t care,” in a video. German television network Pro7 aired the clip on Monday.
Leuth was a member of AfD since its inception in 2013. A former parliamentary spokesperson, he was suspended after he declared himself fascist in April. The latest revelations date back to February when he met a right-wing social media influencer in what he believed was a confidential meeting at a bar in Berlin.
In its statement on Twitter, AfD said that Leuth’s remarks “stand in direct contract to the libertarian-democratic principles of our party, [and] can in no way be attributed to the AfD.” The party further wrote that Leuth ”is no longer a member of the AfD and has not spoken for the party since January 2018.”