Marine Le Pen breaks ties with the German AfD
15 days before the European elections on June 9, an earthquake has occurred in the French extreme right. Marine Le Pen has taken the decision to break relations with her German allies of the AfD just before the start of the electoral campaign for the 9-J. This decision, as reported by the French newspaper Libération and several French media, responds to the statements made by Maximilian Krah, the spitzenkandidat in the European elections of the German far-right party. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Krah expressed controversial views on the SS, stating that culpability must be assessed individually and that not all SS members were criminals.
Reactions and break with other parties
Marine Le Pen’s decision has generated reactions in other European far-right parties. The president and candidate for the European elections of the RN list, Jordan Bardella, has decided not to sit down with the AfD MPs in the European Union Parliament anymore, stating that the AfD has crossed red lines. Likewise, La Lliga, the party of Italy’s vice-prime minister, Matteo Salvini, has announced that in relation to the future formation of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament, Matteo Salvini and Marine Le Pen are perfectly aligned and in agreement.
International implications and reactions
The breakdown of relations between Marine Le Pen and the German AfD has had implications at an international level. This decision has affected the formation of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament, where Agrupació Nacional (RN) and La Liga were part of the main political formations. In addition, other European far-right parties have been affected by this situation, generating an impact on the European political landscape just a few days before the elections.