The deputy chairman of the right-wing extremist AfD is calling for mass deportations

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The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany has called for mass deportations of immigrants as the party unveiled its manifesto for next month’s federal election.

In a fiery speech to supporters in the small Saxon town of Riesa in eastern Germany, Alice Weidel said that Germany under the AfD – which is in second place in the polls with a record vote share of around 20 percent – would see “next day repatriations” on a large scale Scale”.

Weidel, AfD candidate for chancellor in the election, used the controversial term “remigration” to describe the policy.

The term was coined by right-wing Austrian ideologue Martin Sellner, who defines “remigration” as the forcible deportation of immigrants who break the law or “refuse to integrate,” regardless of their citizenship status — an idea that critics say amounts to ethnic cleansing .

On Saturday Weidel said: “I have to say quite honestly: If it’s called remigration, then it’s called remigration.”

She received loud applause from party delegates, who also repeatedly shouted “Alice for Germany” – a reference to the banned slogan “Everything for Germany” from the Nazi era.

Weidel, a former Goldman Sachs analyst, has positioned herself as the more presentable face of a party that includes ultra-radicals classified as right-wing extremists by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.

Earlier this week, Weidel took part in a joint appearance

However, she has little chance of coming to power in the upcoming elections, as all other major parties in Germany have ruled out forming a coalition with her.

Weidel’s endorsement of remigration was seen by some in the party as a nod to Björn Höcke, the standard-bearer of the radical right who led the AfD to a historic first place finish in state elections in the eastern German state of Thuringia in September.

“It’s a concession to Björn Höcke,” said Kay Gottschalk, a member of the German Bundestag who belongs to the party’s more moderate flank. “It’s a word, of course. I would put it another way – send them back – but that’s what the delegates want.”

Weidel also used her speech to reiterate her calls to restart the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, bring back nuclear power and rail against gender studies programs.

The party meeting sparked large protests. Around 10,000 anti-AfD demonstrators showed up and police imposed a lockdown in the town of Riesa, which has a population of 30,000, delaying the start of the conference by two hours.



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