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Germany: Far-right celebrate beating Scholz’s party

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Alice Weidel, leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), expressed on Monday that there is a growing demand for a vote of confidence and new elections, stating that the public is frustrated. The AfD is celebrating their unexpected success in the European Parliament elections, where they secured 16%, surpassing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left SPD.

Despite facing numerous scandals, including allegations of money laundering, connections to the Kremlin, and espionage for China, the AfD’s campaign managed to perform well. Their two lead candidates, Maximilian Krah and Petr Bystron, were sidelined due to investigations into these allegations, with Krah further tarnishing the party’s image by downplaying Nazi crimes. Consequently, France’s hard-right leader Marine Le Pen distanced herself from the AfD.

In an effort to rehabilitate the party’s image, Weidel has excluded Krah from the AfD’s EU delegation. The party attributes the scandals to a “media campaign” and criticizes the judiciary and intelligence services for being politically biased. This narrative of victimization seems to have resonated with voters.

The AfD’s effective use of social media and direct slogans contrasted with the government’s more abstract campaign messaging about “defending democracy.” Co-leader Tino Chrupalla emphasized addressing real issues over engaging in mutual insults, which appeared to appeal to the electorate, especially in eastern Germany and among younger voters.

Meanwhile, the governing coalition is grappling with the poor election results, described as a “painful humiliation” by an SPD leader. Although the conservatives led with 30%, their performance was not seen as particularly strong given the government’s unpopularity. In eastern Germany, the AfD outperformed them, and the results complicate the formation of a stable coalition in the national parliament.

This outcome bolsters CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s efforts to steer his party towards a more conservative stance and supports his ambition to become Germany’s next chancellor. However, the real beneficiaries of the election are the populists.

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New knife attack wounds local German politician

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In Mannheim, Germany, a local politician was attacked just days after a police officer was fatally stabbed in the city’s market square. The victim, Heinrich Koch, a 62-year-old candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, sustained cuts in the incident, according to the German press agency DPA. The police confirmed that the attack took place on Tuesday evening, near the site of the previous deadly assault on rally organizers against radical Islam, which resulted in the death of a 29-year-old officer.

Koch was hospitalized for treatment but his injuries were not life-threatening. The local AfD association reported that the altercation occurred after Koch pursued a man who was tearing down election posters. The assailant then cut Koch with a knife. The police arrested a 25-year-old suspect who exhibited signs of mental illness and was subsequently taken to a psychiatric hospital. Authorities indicated that there was no solid evidence the attacker knew Koch was an AfD politician.

This recent violence follows the stabbing of a police officer by an Afghan asylum seeker, which led to the officer’s death and injuries to five others during preparations for an anti-radical Islam rally. The 25-year-old suspect, who arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2013 and has two children, was detained. In response to the killing, which incited widespread outrage, the German government has indicated it might resume deportations to Afghanistan, halted since the Taliban regained control three years ago.

These incidents occur as Germany gears up for European Parliament elections and municipal elections in seven states, including Baden-Württemberg, where the AfD is competing against the centre-left Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz for second place. The AfD’s campaign has been marred by various scandals. Markus Frohnmaier, a senior AfD official in Baden-Württemberg, expressed shock and dismay at the attack on Koch.

Violent incidents have also been reported in other parts of Germany in the run-up to Sunday’s European elections. Chancellor Scholz recently warned of threats to democracy following attacks on political figures, including Matthias Ecke of Scholz’s party in Dresden and a female Greens politician in the same city. Berlin senator Franziska Giffey, a prominent former minister from Scholz’s party, was also assaulted last month during a visit to a local library.

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Cardinal Becciu: Vatican court convicts former Pope adviser of financial crimes

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Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a former trusted adviser to Pope Francis, has been handed a five-and-a-half-year jail sentence by a Vatican court, marking a historic moment as the most senior Vatican official ever to face such charges. The trial centered around a controversial London property deal that resulted in substantial financial losses for the Catholic Church. Becciu, once considered a potential papal candidate, vehemently denied allegations of embezzlement and abuse of office throughout the proceedings. The verdict also involved nine other defendants, each facing convictions on some charges and acquittals on others, highlighting the complex nature of the case.

The trial, spanning two and a half years, laid bare internal conflicts and intrigue within the highest ranks of the Vatican. The focus of the proceedings was a building located not in the Vatican or Rome but in affluent Chelsea, London—60 Sloane Avenue, a former Harrod’s warehouse. The Vatican’s Secretariat of State invested over €200 million in acquiring a 45% stake in the property in 2014, with plans for luxury apartments. By 2018, the decision was made to purchase the property outright, involving an additional €150 million investment. Cardinal Becciu, as the Vatican’s Substitute for General Affairs at the time, allegedly approved the entire deal. The charges against Becciu and others included various financial crimes such as fraud, money laundering, and abuse of office, creating a complex narrative of financial impropriety within the secretive world of the Holy See.

Becciu’s lawyer, Fabio Viglione, promptly announced plans to appeal the verdict, reiterating his client’s innocence. Despite the conviction, Becciu maintains his denial of any wrongdoing. The trial not only underscores the unique circumstances of a Cardinal facing such legal scrutiny within the Vatican but also serves as a pivotal test for Pope Francis’s ongoing efforts to reform and address financial irregularities within the Catholic Church. The outcome may carry significant implications for Pope Francis’s legacy as a reformer, as he seeks to navigate and cleanse the Vatican’s finances of longstanding scandals that have plagued previous papacies.

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