Espionage scandals are hurting Germany’s far right
Charges of Chinese and Russian influence mar Alternative for Germany’s European campaign
On April 27th Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the co-leaders of the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, held a rally in the southern town of Donaueschingen to launch their campaign for the European Parliament’s elections in June. Their Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) was not invited to speak. Maximilian Krah, a member of the European parliament, is in the doghouse. Last week Germany’s prosecutor-general arrested his aide Jian Guo, a German of Chinese origin, on charges of spying for China; he remains in custody. Mr Krah was known among fellow MEPs for his refusal to back resolutions critical of the Asian power. One fellow MEP called him “China’s loudest vassal”.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Chinese whisperers”
Europe May 4th 2024
- Emmanuel Macron on how to rescue Europe
- Espionage scandals are hurting Germany’s far right
- Ukraine’s draft dodgers are living in fear
- Turkey’s President Erdogan faces a new challenge from Islamists
- Donald Tusk mulls which of the previous government’s plans to axe
- Europeans lack visceral attachment to the EU. Does it matter?
From the May 4th 2024 edition
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Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
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The return of Europe’s oldest scourge
Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
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