Germany’s extreme right-wing party plans to dissolve its youth wing and replace it with a new, party-controlled organization aimed at distancing itself from extremist ties and addressing legal and political vulnerabilities ahead of upcoming elections.
Several German media outlets have reported that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party plans to dissolve its current youth association, the ‘Junge Alternative’ (JA), and replace it with a new organization more closely tied to the party. This move comes as part of a strategic effort to regulate the youth organization better and distance the party from allegations of right-wing extremist tendencies.
According to Focus Online, the AfD’s federal board has amended the party’s constitution to enable this change. The proposed new youth association is expected to resemble the Jusos, the youth organization of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Under the planned structure, all AfD members aged 16 to 35 would automatically be included in the youth association—a system already used by the SPD, as noted by Bild.
The decision follows ongoing concerns about the independence of the Junge Alternative. Currently, not all members of the JA are required to be AfD members, which has allowed the group to operate independently and made it vulnerable to legal scrutiny.
Roughly half of the JA’s reported 2,400 members are not affiliated with the AfD, Berliner Zeitung reported. This detachment has fueled internal debates about the group’s radical tendencies and exposed the party to accusations of harboring extremist elements.
Concerns over radicalization
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) has classified the JA as a confirmed right-wing extremist group, according to T-Online.
This classification has posed significant challenges for the AfD, which aims to enhance its coalition potential ahead of the federal elections in February—in a party document cited by Berliner Zeitung, the AfD leadership emphasized that the JA’s activities and its links to extremist groups undermine the party’s broader political ambitions.
Recent incidents have exacerbated these concerns. At an AfD election party, Anna Leisten, deputy chairwoman of the JA, reportedly sang and danced to a controversial song advocating deportation, as Bild reported.
Leisten has been a prominent figure within the JA and is known for her connections to right-wing extremist circles. Additionally, Berliner Zeitung revealed that the JA created a mobile game, Deutschlandretter24 (Germany Rescuer 24), which included tasks like deporting migrants—actions widely condemned by critics.
Links to extremism
The term ‘remigration,’ a central slogan of the JA that alludes to mass deportations, has further tarnished the group’s reputation, T-Online noted. Many JA members reportedly maintain ties with the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement, and two JA members were implicated in the coup plans of the ‘Saxon Separatists,’ a terrorist group under investigation by Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.
These links to extremism have also been highlighted at the state level. Several regional JA chapters in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt have been classified as right-wing extremist organizations. According to Bild, the AfD’s Thuringian state association, led by party leader Björn Höcke, has similarly been labeled as a proven right-extremist since 2021.
The AfD intends to create a youth organization that is more directly connected to the party to address these issues. Berliner Zeitung reports that the move would help the party maintain stronger control over its youth wing, mitigating legal risks associated with independent operations. The automatic membership structure would also mirror the SPD’s approach, ensuring closer alignment between the youth association and the parent party.
Germany’s extreme right-wing party plans to dissolve its youth wing, the Junge Alternative, and replace it with a new, party-controlled organization aimed at distancing itself from extremist ties and addressing legal and political vulnerabilities before upcoming elections.
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