Hessian Minister President Boris Rhein expresses skepticism towards a potential banning process against the AfD
Hessian Minister President Boris Rhein has expressed his skepticism towards a possible banning process against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In an interview with “Ippen-Media” Rhein stated that at the end of the day, one must be “verhältnismäßig sicher” (reasonably sure) that they will succeed in doing so before the Federal Constitutional Court. Otherwise, the potential harm could be immense.
Rhein further explained that as the former Interior Minister of Hesse, he has personally experienced the complexities of the previous National Democratic Party (NPD) banning process. He emphasized that a banning process is “a damned complex affair.” He added, “Those who believe they can solve the problem by banning the AfD quickly are mistaken. It is not only a complex matter, but above all, a very long path to be able to ban a party. That’s why one must approach it very cautiously. The quicker way is to weaken the AfD with good politics.”
Additionally, Rhein stated that one cannot ban the voters of the AfD but rather win them back with a strong and courageous center politics. He called for the political confrontation and defeat of the AfD’s functionaries. When reminded that this approach has not worked in the past, Rhein responded, “That is true – and it is a failure of German politics.