The man, Markus Motschmann, dropped to one knee as he presented Reichardt with an application to join the AfD, referring to him as “Mein Führer,” according to two people present. Motschmann denied using those words but confirmed the photo was real.
“It was meant to be funny,” Motschmann told POLITICO. “It’s absolutely ridiculous that this is being blown up again.”
The revelations come at a politically sensitive time for the AfD ahead of two state elections in eastern Germany, where the party is leading in the polls. A landslide victory in September’s election would further strengthen the AfD’s rule in much of eastern Germany and intensify the debate over whether German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives can continue to maintain the so-called “firewall” that keeps them away from the federal government.
Merz’s conservatives, who currently trail the AfD in national opinion polls, vehemently attacked Reichardt in the photo.
“The Nazi salute is a statement of faith, not a slip,” said the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze. “Anyone who shows something like that has no place in parliament.”
Despite such condemnations, it is not clear whether the incident will lead to the AfD taking a strong lead in the elections, especially in the former East Germany, where there is no trust in radical parties and the media. is more widespread than elsewhere in the country.
