Jean‑Pascal Hohm, the head of the AfD youth group “Generation Deutschland” says that AfD politicians should be allowed to keep appearing together with the controversial activist Martin Sellner. In a statement to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Thursday, Hohm stressed that it is important for the party to continue taking the podium and engaging in debates, even if they are invited by third parties. He warned that a blanket ban on contact would be wrong, difficult to enforce and unlikely to last.
On Monday the AfD’s federal board adopted a resolution telling all party associations and members to refrain from holding “party events” with Sellner. The directive pointed to two position papers that clarify the party’s stance on “remigration” and the definition of the German national group. The intent was to distance the party from Sellner, but the resolution fell short of a full break, apparently to avoid alienating supporters of the activist.
Because of that, the resolution still permits AfD factions to host events with Sellner or to hold public debates at his invitation. Hohm has told the FAZ that he does not plan such meetings. He added that events organized by his colleague Lena Kotré together with Sellner are neither being arranged by him nor by “Generation Deutschland”. Hohm is also a member of the Brandenburg state parliament, whereas Kotré accepted Sellner’s invitation for a conversation in January.
Hohm did not justify his reluctance to invite Sellner on the basis of the activist’s positions. Instead, he spoke of a “division of labour” between the party and the activist front. “With project hygiene we can reach more patriots. The party and the front have distinct tasks within the patriotic mosaic that must be fulfilled” he said. This view is widespread inside the party and the activist wing. The idea is that activists, who can push the limits of what is publicly acceptable more radically than party officials, prime the ground for the party to follow later.
