German far-right party faces expulsion from EP group

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party could face expulsion from the European Parliament group it belongs to, according to a document seen by dpa on Thursday, just two weeks ahead of European elections.

Marco Zanni, the leader of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, made a request to expel the AfD after multiple negative headlines about the party in recent weeks, including about the AfD's lead candidate for the elections in June, Maximilian Krah.

The move comes after a "string of incidents involving Mr Maximilian Krah and - by extension - the German delegation of the Group" and their impact on the group's reputation, the text of the motion reads.

Krah came under significant public scrutiny following his comments that not all Schutzstaffel (SS) members were criminals. The SS was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

In response, the AfD banned Krah from making public appearances.

Another AfD candidate, Petr Bystron, will also no longer appear due to investigations by the public prosecutor's office into alleged corruption.

Both Krah and Bystron have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks.

In addition, German police last month arrested Krah's assistant at the time, Jian Guo, on suspicion of espionage. Krah fired him following the allegations that the aide was spying for China.

All nine AfD lawmakers in the ID group are listed for expulsion in a vote due to take place later Thursday. The request to expel all AfD members from the European Parliament group was sent to top representatives of political parties in the ID.

The Italian League party, to which Zanni belongs, has already agreed to the motion.

Christine Anderson, leader of the AfD delegation in ID, objected to the vote however and demanded to be consulted as per the group's rules, according to information obtained by dpa.

With the support of six other members of the AfD, Anderson demanded that only Krah be expelled from the ID group and submitted a countermotion. Only one AfD lawaker did not support Anderson.

The exclusion of AfD members of the EU legislature would be primarily symbolic, as the parliament will not meet again until after the European elections in June. The political groups may then possibly be reformed.

In addition to the Italian League, the ID group in the European Parliament also includes Marine Le Pen's French party National Rally and the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders, although the latter has no seats in the European Parliament.

Le Pen's National Rally had previously terminated its cooperation with the AfD after plans to deport migrants on a large scale were discussed at a secret meeting attended by members of the AfD and well-known radical right-wingers last November near Berlin.