The campaign leaflet of the local Alternative for Germany (AfD) organization in Karlsruhe has become the subject of a police investigation on suspicion of inciting hatred, as it is in the form of a “deportation ticket” for immigrants, modeled on a similar Nazi campaign for Jews and of neo-Nazis in 2013.
The leaflet – “non-refundable ticket” is dated Election Day, February 23, 2025 and the destination is “safe country of origin”. The QR code on the paper links to the website of the local AfD organization. According to a report by the public network SWR, migrants found the leaflet in their letterbox, while the party published it as campaign advertising material on social media platforms. Mark Bernhardt, an AfD federal parliamentarian from the region, noted that around 20,000-30,000 such “tickets” had been printed, but denied that they had been targeted at people with a migrant background, while AfD Karlsruhe city councilor Oliver Snell protested because, as he said, only one side of the pamphlet is commented on and not the back, where the political positions of the party on immigration are stated.
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The investigation has now been taken over by the Anti-Crime Service, while the action of the AfD has been condemned by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Left, which has even announced that it will file a complaint requesting the exclusion of the local AfD from the elections.
In 1933, after Adolf Hitler came to power, corresponding “non-return tickets” were issued for Jews, marked “Free trip to Palestine”. In 2013, the neo-Nazi party NPD included similar leaflets in its election campaign. In January 2024, by a decision of the Federal Constitutional Court, the NPD was suspended from funding for six years.
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Source: www.zougla.gr
