That man, Markus Motschmann, knelt on one knee as he presented Reichardt with an application to join the AfD, addressing him as “Mein Führer,” according to the two people who were present. Motschmann denied using those words but confirmed the photograph is genuine.
“It was meant to be funny,” Motschmann told POLITICO. “It’s absolutely ridiculous that this is being blown up again.”
The revelation comes at a politically sensitive moment for the AfD ahead of two state elections in eastern Germany, where the party is leading in polls. Big victories in the September elections would further cement the AfD’s dominance across swathes 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 the far-right out of federal government.
Merz’s conservatives, who currently trail the AfD in national polls, sharply attacked Reichardt over the photo.
“A Nazi salute is a statement of belief, not a slip-up,” said Saxony-Anhalt’s conservative premier, Sven Schulze. “Anyone who displays something like that has no place in a parliament.”
Despite such condemnations, it’s not clear whether the incident will dent the AfD’s strong lead in polls, particularly in the former East Germany, where distrust of centrist parties and mainstream media is more prevalent than elsewhere in the country.