Many AfD members also come to Sahra Wagenknecht's "peace rally". Björn Höcke also seems enthusiastic about the left-wing politician - so much that he calls on her to work together. In his party she can make politics that she can only dream of in Berlin.
The Thuringian AfD chairman Björn Höcke has called on left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht to join the AfD. "I beg you, come to us," he said, according to media reports, at a joint rally of his party with Pegida on Friday. After all, she can do politics with him that she can only dream of in Berlin, the "Bild" newspaper quotes him as saying.
"You will never push through your ideas of peace policy with this party," Höcke said. "Perhaps courage will grow" - that's what he would like.
Wagenknecht and the publicist Alice Schwarzer had called for a "peace rally" in Berlin on Saturday. Right-wing extremists also occasionally mingled with the 13,000 participants, according to the police. According to the association "Jewish Forum for Democracy and Against Anti-Semitism", the convicted Holocaust denier Nikolai Nerling also took part. Several state associations of the AfD also traveled. Leading AfD politicians had previously signed a petition by Wagenknecht and Schwarzer calling on the federal government to focus on peace negotiations instead of arms deliveries in the Ukraine war.
At the rally, Wagenknecht said in the face of criticism of participants from the right-wing spectrum, neo-Nazis and "Reich citizens" naturally had no place there. At the same time she explained: "But I also say: Anyone who wants to demonstrate with us for peace and negotiations with an honest heart is welcome here." Left party leader Janine Wissler criticized the event and canceled participation. She warned Wagenknecht to clearly distance themselves from right-wing extremists.
In her speech, Wagenknecht again called for a halt to arms deliveries to Ukraine, which had been attacked by Russia, and called for peace negotiations. It is about "ending the terrible suffering and dying in Ukraine". An offer of negotiations should be made to Russia "instead of munitions an endless war of attrition with ever new weapons". It is important to avert the risk of the war spreading to all of Europe and possibly the world. This risk is "damn big".
