Alice Weidel: the AfD is “not an extreme party” | The Economist

We don't have. extremists in our party. We are not an extreme party. It's an unserious. framing, to be very harmful. to our reputation. It doesn't work anymore. There are in your party. very clearly small. but clear. frankly neo-Nazi elements. There are... No. I mean Björn Höcke... It’s completely unfounded. twice found guilty. and fined for using Nazi slogans. Just recently these reports. about four advisers. to your leader in Saxony-Anhalt.

They were part of the banned. neo-Nazi youth movement. Are you denying that there is... You're saying there's. nobody in the AfD. with any proto-fascist tendency? Oh my goodness. This interview has been. going very well. It's important. Yes, yes. It’s really important. But it's completely... These accusations. are completely unfounded. Okay. Then categorically tell me. that that is not the case. and if there were. you would throw them out. Well, absolutely.

This is not the case. The accusations are unfounded. So Björn Höcke. he has been found guilty. and fined for using Nazi slogans? “Everything for Germany”. is a Nazi slogan. It's ridiculous. Okay. “Germany first”. this is what he said. Do you think it's a Nazi slogan? I don't think so. So you don't think there is anybody. in the party. in Saxony-Anhalt, in Thüringer. who has any Nazi, proto-Nazi tendencies? The framing is very.

severe and. we have nothing to do with that. And why are you asking me. this question? I'm asking you. because it is honestly. probably the single. most important question. that people ask about the AfD. They say. the AfD is an extreme-right party. and they worry, understandably. given Germany's history, that there are people in your party. who have. echoes of the 1930s. I don’t think... my mother is German. I am... I grew up.

spent part of my time here. I am not at all surprised. that people. are really worried about this. Well, we had that before. that the framing of far-right. extremist is unfounded. I think that we stand. for a common-sense policy. that I laid out in this interview. and that the framing. of the horrible. time of the Third Reich, because you've been mentioning.

this now several times, that the framing and putting the. Alternative für Deutschland. in a continuation of this horrible. terrible times of the Third Reich. it's just used against us. to harm our reputation. and nothing can be more untrue. to be honest.