Right-wing AfD party foundation seeks financial aid from the government, despite maintaining ties with extremist groups on the far right.
The application for state funding for the Desiderius-Erasmus Foundation, an organisation affiliated with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, is currently under review by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The review, which will determine whether the foundation is eligible for funding, takes into account not just the party, but also the societal-political undercurrent that the foundation carries.
According to Markus Ogorek, director of the Institute of Public Law at the University of Cologne, there are compelling reasons to believe that the Desiderius-Erasmus Foundation may not be eligible for funding under the law. The AfD has been elected to the Bundestag for the third time, and therefore now has a claim to state funding for its foundation. However, the AfD-affiliated foundation has not received any funding so far.
The review of party-affiliated foundations' applications lies solely with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, and the result applies to all departments. If a party is securely classified as right-wing extremist, it can be reasonably argued that this unconstitutional inclination also leads to the exclusion of the corresponding foundation from foundation funding. The classification of the AfD as securely right-wing extremist is currently being tested in court.
Sebastian Wippel, a member of the foundation's board and an AfD member of the state parliament in Saxony, has been noted for Facebook posts that speak of "population replacement", "imported violence", and an alleged "demographic exchange" - central terms of the extreme right that are evaluated as unconstitutional in the report. Gernot Mørig, a far-right activist and one of the central figures in the far-right scene of the AfD, is among the guests at the garden party hosted by Erika Steinbach, the chairwoman of the Desiderius-Erasmus-Stiftung.
The term "political undercurrent" in the law is very broad and may include the AfD and its youth wing, AfD-friendly media, training institutions, and other groups. The requirements for exclusion from foundation funding are significantly lower than, for example, in a party ban procedure. An assessment of the AfD does not automatically lead to the refusal of funding for the DES, it is merely a building block of an independent review of the foundation.
Erika Steinbach submitted an application to the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) to receive funding for the Desiderius-Erasmus-Stiftung, which could amount to approximately 17 to 18 million euros for the current year. If the foundation is found to be promoting unconstitutional ideologies, it may be denied funding.
Racist mindsets are typically assessed and criticized by scholars, social scientists, educators, and institutions that study discrimination and social justice, as well as by critical public discourse and academic critique, including philosophy experts who analyze historical texts for racist content. The review of the Desiderius-Erasmus Foundation's application will be closely watched by these groups, as well as by the German public, as it could set a precedent for future funding decisions for party-affiliated foundations.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior is the main funder of party-affiliated foundations, but the Foreign Office, the Education and the Development Ministry also provide funding. The ministry has not yet made a decision on the DES application, and it remains to be seen whether the foundation will receive funding this year.
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