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AfD lawmaker hosts meeting with Polish far-right figures and known antisemites in Lubmin

AfD Bundestag member Steffen Kotré convened a gathering in Lubmin with Polish far-right politicians and individuals linked to antisemitic activity.

In Lubmin, a coastal site of the former Nord Stream terminal, Steffen Kotré led a conference of German and Polish far-right politicians to discuss European energy policy. The roster featured Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun, two members of the Konfederacja Korony Polskiej, Roman Fritz and Sławomir Ozdyk, as well as AfD state deputies Stephan Reuken and Kevin Kurtze. Braun and Ozdyz have been documented for overt antisemitic propaganda, including denial of Auschwitz gas chambers and participation in extremist publications. The gathering underscored the AfD's ongoing contacts with Polish nationalist groups despite internal party warnings about extremist affiliations.

Why it matters

The event shows cross-border cooperation between European far-right parties and individuals with extremist, antisemitic views.

How the sides frame it

LOW AGREEMENT

Left-leaning coverage highlights the extremist and antisemitic backgrounds of the Polish participants and frames the meeting as evidence of AfD's ties to far-right nationalist groups, while centrist coverage treats the gathering as a platform for advocating the relaunch of the Nord Stream pipeline and stresses the energy-policy angle.

LEFT

Frames the meeting as a troubling display of AfD’s connections to Polish far-right and antisemitic figures.

CENTER

Frames the meeting as a political push to revive the Nord Stream gas project and warns of European energy insecurity.

The left emphasises

  • Braun and Ozdyk have been documented for overt antisemitic propaganda, including denial of Auschwitz gas chambers
  • the gathering underscores AfD’s ongoing contacts with Polish nationalist groups despite internal party warnings

How this story developed

  1. Sep 23 Heidenau city council will vote on a motion, supported by CDU and AfD members, to reject two proposed Stolpersteine for Fritz and Martha Goldstein and instead favor a collective memorial at the Nordfriedhof.
  2. Sep 24 Merz faces mounting pressure after the regional setbacks.
  3. Sep 24 The Israeli ambassador warned of an “immediate existential threat” to Berlin’s Jewish community over alleged antisemitism in the party.
  4. Sep 24 The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance pledged support for the AfD’s speaker nominee, creating a parliamentary majority for the AfD in Saxony‑Anhalt.
  5. Sep 27 The council has scheduled a vote on the proposed ban.
  6. Sep 27 SPD and Greens issued a joint warning demanding Die Linke reject antisemitism and clan crime before coalition talks proceed.
  7. Sep 29 AfD parliamentary group chair Ulrich Siegmund said he will stand for the Minister-President post in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament in December.
  8. Oct 3 Historian Brendan Simms warned that the return of great‑power competition is reshaping security and challenging Swiss defence.
  9. Oct 3 Tobias Rausch was elected speaker of the Landtag.
  10. Oct 3 AfD now ahead of the Union in the latest INSA Sunday poll, widening the gap.
  11. Oct 5 The council moved from debating the proposal to formally approving the resolution that declines new Stolpersteine applications.
  12. Oct 7 A secret ballot produced undisclosed extra votes, prompting CDU leaders to demand an investigation.

In this story

AfDPolish far-rightantisemitismenergy policyLubmin meetingGrzegorz BraunEuropean cooperationextremist links
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