Berlin AfD faction grows to 29 seats; far-right young politicians take key posts

Career-boosting: Martin Kohler, head of the Berlin AfD youth wing, poses with Kristin Brinker (left) and Beatrix von Storch (right). Photo: Frank Gaeth/imago

By Hanno Fleckenstein

When the Berlin House of Representatives convenes for its first session on Thursday, the AfD parliamentary group will occupy significantly more space in the plenary chamber than before. Of the 153 total MPs, 29 belong to the party, which is partly classified as right-wing extremist. That is 13 more seats than in the previous legislative period.

The AfD won around 16 percent of the vote in the election on 20 September, achieving its highest result in Berlin to date. At the same time, however, the party fell short of its own expectations and polling figures.

Each of the 29 MPs receives up to 8,000 euros per month for a constituency office and can employ personal staff with it.

Nevertheless, the fact that the Berlin AfD will now constitute the third-largest parliamentary group in the state parliament represents a significant gain for the right. For the first time, the group may nominate a candidate for the office of Vice-President of Parliament. The electoral success also pays off financially. Each of the 29 MPs receives up to 8,000 euros per month for a constituency office and can employ personal staff. This creates jobs for individuals from the party's right-wing extremist milieu, which can thereby consolidate its own structures.

The new AfD parliamentary group resembles a gentlemen's club: 25 men and only four women belong to it. One of them is the old and new parliamentary group leader, Kristin Brinker. The party leader remains firmly in the saddle despite rather disappointing election results. Scandals have also been unable to harm her so far. For instance, the day before the Berlin election, police searched the apartment of one of her staff members and found Nazi devotional objects, among other things. For Brinker, this was a non-issue: "He is simply a collector," she said.

Setting the Course for a Staunchly Right-Wing Direction

This is likely reason enough that the AfD in Berlin remains isolated at the state level. This is also evident in the election to the parliamentary presidium, which is on Thursday's agenda. All other parliamentary groups refuse—with varying degrees of vehemence—to elect the AfD candidate Martin Trefzer as Vice-President, as they reaffirmed over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the new parliamentary group is setting the course for the continuation of its staunchly right-wing direction. At the same time, an attempt is emerging to make its own appearance seem more professional and to prominently involve the party's next generation. To this end, the group has filled key positions with young, up-and-coming politicians who are close to the völkisch-nationalist current within the AfD while simultaneously attempting to cultivate a serious image.

One such figure is party and parliamentary group deputy leader Alexander Bertram. The 38-year-old is considered Brinker's crown prince and is close to the formally dissolved right-wing extremist "Flügel" around Thuringia's state leader Björn Höcke. In the new parliamentary group, Bertram is to represent the issue of migration—so central to the AfD—with the typical remigration sound.

In this role, Bertram succeeds the Marzahn-Hellersdorf MP Gunnar Lindemann. The Putin supporter, who has primarily drawn attention with bizarre cooking shows on YouTube and verbal outbursts, is likely no longer considered an ideal representative in the parliamentary group given the efforts toward professionalization. This is also supported by the fact that Lindemann's name no longer appears at all in the list of the group's "policy spokespersons."

The Next Generation Gets Its Turn

Alongside Bertram, two newly elected MPs in particular stand for the future direction of the Berlin AfD parliamentary group: Martin Kohler and Jan Streeck. Both are in their late twenties, are close to the right-wing fraternity "Gothia," and were on the board of the dissolved youth organization "Junge Alternative" (JA). Kohler is now head of the new party youth wing "Generation Deutschland."

The fact that both parliamentary newcomers were directly elected to the parliamentary group board and given spokesperson roles speaks to the prominent role intended for them. Martin Kohler is now the AfD parliamentary group's spokesperson for domestic policy—a key position in the law-and-order party. Here he succeeds the previous hardliner Thorsten Weiß, who has gone to Höcke in Thuringia.

But Kohler is in no way inferior to Weiß. He campaigned with the slogan "Remigration is not everything, but without remigration, everything is nothing." From his JA days, he is also closely networked with Brandenburg AfD politicians Jean-Pascal Hohm and Dennis Hohloch, both of whom are considered confirmed right-wing extremists.

Jan Streeck, in turn, is the "policy spokesperson" for construction and housing. The AfD has been trying to seize this issue more strongly since spring, above all through the racist campaign "Apartments are not asylum shelters." Streeck is also the AfD chairman in Pankow, where he runs a party venue in the Blankenburg district that is considered a scene meeting point. Guests there have included Bundestag MP Mathias Helferich ("the friendly face of Nazism"). And recently, an "Oktoberfest" took place there with a performance by the right-wing streamer and musician "Björn Banane."

MPs with Remarkable Backgrounds

Among the 15 AfD MPs who have entered the House of Representatives for the first time, there are also some rather unknown figures with remarkable backgrounds. One of them is the artist and podcaster Julian Adrat. The avowed Trump fan has a criminal record, including for bodily harm and insult. He has also been investigated multiple times, for instance for incitement to hatred. The background was hate posts about trans people and migrants.

Also new is Anneliese Dummer, directly elected in Marzahn-Hellersdorf. The pensioner has already worked for two Senate administrations and also for AfD Bundestag MP Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who is currently in pre-trial detention on suspicion of terrorism. Also new are the teacher Hendrik Pauli, who was fired in the past for his Bärgida support but now works at a school again, and the police officer Marc Bernicke, who was dismissed from police service because of his role in the JA.

Constitutional Protection May Soon Be Able to Inform

Meanwhile, the Berlin Office for the Protection of the Constitution may soon be able to disclose whether it classifies the Berlin AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist case and monitors it accordingly. This is made possible by a legal amendment by the black-red coalition that came into force in early September. Previously, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution was only allowed to inform about confirmed right-wing extremist efforts, but not about review or suspected cases.

According to its own statements, however, the Interior Administration can only apply the new rules once government formation in Berlin is complete. Around the election and during coalition negotiations, making the information public would, in its assessment, violate the neutrality requirement. The goal, however, is to provide clarity at the "earliest possible time" as to whether the AfD is being monitored or not.

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• AfD before Berlin Election: Provocation and Fundamental Opposition — The AfD could double its result in the election on 20 September—and possibly even become the strongest force. What are the reasons for its rise? By Hanno Fleckenstein
• AfD in Berlin: Spectacle Without a Power Option — Buoyed by a polling high, the Berlin AfD enters the election campaign. It also aims to score with the issue of rents—and demands "remigration." By Hanno Fleckenstein
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