The far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has caused a big controversy in Germany. A local branch of the party in Karlsruhe gave out fake plane tickets to migrants, telling them they would be deported to their “safe country of origin.” The tickets had a date of February 23, the same day as Germany’s national election, and included the message, “In your home country, it’s also nice.”
This stunt has angered many people, including political leaders from different parties. The AfD’s leaders, like Alice Weidel, have been pushing for stronger actions to deport migrants. At a recent event, Weidel said the AfD would carry out “large-scale repatriations” if they came to power, using the term “remigration” to describe the deportation plans.
The fake tickets were handed out in neighborhoods with many migrants, though the AfD says it was not done on purpose. The party explained that the flyers were meant to inform people about their political plans, which they say follow Germany’s laws on deportation.
The incident is now being looked into by the police, who are investigating if the action could have caused hatred. Many politicians have spoken out against the AfD, calling the stunt racist. Robert Habeck, a leader of the Green party, said the act was harmful to Germany’s image.
Despite being labeled as a suspected extremist group by Germany’s intelligence agency, the AfD has gained more support recently and is now polling second in national elections. This follows protests against the party last year, after it was revealed that some AfD members attended a meeting with far-right extremists discussing deportation plans.