Georg Restle, the long‑time host of the ARD political magazine “Monitor”, is stepping down after fourteen years as presenter and editor‑in‑chief. On Thursday he will give the final episode of the show. In an interview with the weekly paper “Die Zeit”, he said that his stark stance on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has left him a minority within the network, although not the only one. He warned that the AfD must never be looked at in isolation; instead it must be viewed alongside all the far‑right organisations that provide it with a “pre‑field”. He asked, “How can one stand against that?” Restle dismissed criticism of his sharp comments, which he has also made on social media, saying they are based on his own research and that of his team.
Restle has worked as an ARD correspondent in Moscow before becoming “Monitor”‘s anchor. When he leaves, he will take over the studio management at the network’s Nairobi office on 1 May. He laughed that he certainly will not “just lie in the hammock” there, or report on baby elephants.