this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2025
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Weidel admitted meeting Wu but said she met him once in months. As for their discussions, Weidel said that she sought an understanding of China’s position on Germany.

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The damning findings come days ahead of German parliamentary elections in which AfD has rattled mainstream politicians. As per latest opinion polls, the party stands second in popularity and way ahead of incumbent SPD. While AfD’s links to the neo-Nazi movement have led to widespread concerns and contributed to its ostracisation by German parties, the links to China have led to fresh concerns whether a top contender for German chancellorship has been groomed by China.

The findings are all the more damning as European far-right has long been supported by Russia and China is Russia’s principal ally. The AfD is so extremist that even French far-right party, National Rally (RN), broke ties with it in the European Union (EU) elections last year. Moreover, AfD has previously been charged with spying for China and such allegations contributed to the RN-AfD split.

...

AfD leader Alice Weidel’s long relationship to China

In light of revealation of Weidel’s secret meetings with the top Chinese diplomat in Germany, fresh attention has come on her long relationship with China that goes back to decades. It is bound to be explored whether she has been groomed by China to do the Communist Party’s bidding in Germany and Europe.

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As an economist, Weidel worked for the state-owned Bank of China and lived in China for six years. It has been reported that she was on scholarship during those years. Her doctoral thesis was also written on Chinese pension system.

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In China, Weidel worked at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

While Weidel today leads a party linked to neo-Nazis, her grandparents were members of the Nazi Party. Her grandfather, Hans Weidel, was a prominent Nazi judge who persecuted political opponents of the Nazi regime. He was appointed by Adolf Hitler himself.

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[–] AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip 19 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Ahh the wonderful communist who support.... wait those are neo nazis and the others are just capitalists...

[–] Gsus4@programming.dev 77 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

So AfD is supported by China, russia and the US? Which major countries do we have left outside the EU to help fight fascist bullshit?

[–] GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 6 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Not the US, but fascist billionaires.

[–] naught101@lemmy.world 27 points 15 hours ago (3 children)
[–] GenosseFlosse@feddit.org 1 points 13 hours ago

Well, the afd would not be pro-us with democrats in power.

[–] Melchior@feddit.org 39 points 20 hours ago

Spies need to be kicked out of the country and organizations set up by them have to be banned.

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 151 points 1 day ago (2 children)

And again, a bunch of traitors waving the banner of patriotism. It's as pathetic as it is predictable.

[–] No_Eponym@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 hours ago

"All the enemies of the Constitution borrow the name and language of patriotism to spread error, discord and false principles... It is thus that public opinion is excited and becomes disorganized; the general will becomes powerless and invalid and patriotism... sometimes seconds, through blind impetuosity, the evil projects of the enemies of our freedom." -MR

[–] BedSharkPal@lemmy.ca 38 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Seriously. Apparently this needs to be taught in kindergarten. How many times has this happened in recent history now...

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 26 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Thanks to every major party having made austerity some kind of state religion, the axe has been taken to the entire education system numerous times in the past 5 decades. Also, the famed post WW2 denazification, especially in the administration, has been largely a sad joke. Coincidentally one of the more radical prominent figures in the AfD, a certain Mr Höcke, who, by court verdict, can be legally called a fascist, is a history teacher of all Things.

[–] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

They are all owned by China or Russia. Even the ones you like. They play both sides so they always come out on top.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 20 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

so far right came all the way around to communist

[–] Randelung@lemmy.world 14 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

There's never actually been large scale communism. The step where the autocratic takeover ends just doesn't happen. So yeah, practiced communism is not just coming around to and touching fascism, they're almost congruent.

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 14 points 20 hours ago

Is this what she meant when she called Hitler a "communist"? Not like "ew, communists" but "oh yeah, communists, like the good folks in the CCP who gave me money"?

[–] boredtortoise@lemm.ee 6 points 21 hours ago (7 children)

Where's the communists in this equation

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[–] Skua@kbin.earth 26 points 1 day ago (15 children)

How damaging is this likely to be for them? A corruption scandal two days before an election seems like it ought to hurt, and I would assume as an outsider that AfD voters are not exactly pro-China

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 61 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Their voters live in a different reality by now. Likely it won't be damaging at all.

[–] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 33 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Yeah, and let us not forget that many of their voters receive their 'information' exclusively from social media, and here primarily from Tiktok and Xitter. The algorithms likely don't show them anything bad of China, Russia, AfD, ...

@Skua@kbin.earth @Cliff@feddit.org @trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

That's exactly what I meant by "different reality". They are spoon fed their "news" and "information" by US and Chinese disinformation platforms AKA "social media". And by German papers and TV cannels owned by the Axel Springer Corporation, which is pretty much the German equivalent to Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate.

[–] jenesaisquoi@feddit.org 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You don't have to mention people when replying to them. They'll get a notification automatically.

[–] crimeschneck@feddit.nl 9 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

But they also wanted to notify other users than the one they were replying to. From my experience, you only get notified if someone directly replied to you.

[–] boredtortoise@lemm.ee 2 points 21 hours ago

I'm not blaming you or op, just jokingly wondering am I the only one who feels getting notified is rude

[–] Cliff@feddit.org 9 points 1 day ago

Idk, seems like those people mainly wants as much disruption as possible and just don't care what exactly they are supporting with their vote.

[–] lemmydividebyzero@reddthat.com 2 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

They produce scandals each day to get attention. Same as Musk, Trump, etc.... At some point, the fans just don't care anymore.

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[–] HowRu68@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

So...I guess these articles now have confirmed that USA Trump- RF Putin- CCP Jinpin- have their interests aligned and wish to undermine democracies.

[–] boredtortoise@lemm.ee 9 points 21 hours ago

And we're too tired to even say told so

[–] nesc@lemmy.cafe 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Prime chancellor material!

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Being a corrupt fuck seems to be the one common denominator for most of the German chancellors in the last 5 decades.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] boredtortoise@lemm.ee 5 points 21 hours ago

Pikachu got a stache

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