Migration researcher Gerald Knaus has criticized the AfD for maintaining a dual approach in its migration policy. He argues that while the party publicly presents positions formulated within the bounds of constitutional legality, leading politicians and influential factions send significantly more radical signals internally.
Speaking to the podcast “Inside AfD” hosted by Politico’s magazine, Knaus suggests that the AfD is essentially “playing two pianos simultaneously.” On the one hand, the party attempts to operate within the framework of its official constitutional documents. On the other hand, its rhetoric has dramatically escalated, encompassing claims that are almost certainly illegal from a constitutional standpoint.
A prime example cited by Knaus is the demand for “millionfold remigration,” a proposal repeatedly put forward by members of the Bundestag and the party’s national board. Knaus stresses that rhetoric alluding to an alleged “folk death” or the “dissolution of the German people” goes far beyond merely deporting those who violate visa requirements. He asserts that the ideological trajectory of the concept of remigration leads to one clear goal: “They want to separate peoples.”
According to Knaus, the positions held by influential parts of the party-as revealed through official functions, regional associations, youth organizations, and electoral programs-are clear: they view Germany’s multi-ethnic society as a problem that must be completely reversed. He regards this perspective as a direct threat to Germans and long-term residents in the country, and thus, inherently unconstitutional.
The social scientist concludes that a genuine implementation of these views would necessitate a definitive breach of the current political and legal order. In his assessment, the party is disguising what he calls the “collapse of the system” established in Germany since 1949, while pretending only to be protecting it.
