Two years later, a confident Sellner made himself available to journalists for interviews at the remigration summit, dwelling on concepts that he says are now going mainstream.
“We have a very neurotic relationship to our own ethnicity, our own ethno-cultural identity and I think we need to overcome that,” Sellner told reporters at the summit, calling on Europeans to overcome their “guilt complex” and “self-loathing” stemming from “post-war consensus.”
At least three AfD politicians attended the event, including Kay Gottschalk, a member of the Bundestag and one of the party’s cofounders. Gottschalk said he was there “to listen” as “a visitor.” Lena Kotré, an AfD member and representative in the Brandenburg state legislature, spoke on stage with Sven Tritschler, a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia parliament, also in attendance.
Vox MPs Rocío de Meer and Carlos Quero featured on the summit’s speakers list. Activist Sammy Woodhouse, a supporter of U.K. right-wing party Restore Britain, was also among the speakers.
Tensions emerged when reporters who had been accredited to cover the event were not allowed in and instead were confined to the parking lot. At one point, a drone buzzed over the press pack making repeated, aggressive moves toward a female journalist there.
Queuing for selfies
By contrast, multiple right-wing influencers equipped with high-tech gear were welcomed inside, with the summit’s social media channels boasting “enormous” interest partly thanks to Bovino’s presence.