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Diakonie Fires Employee After 15 Years Over AfD Candidacy

A German hospice worker was fired after 15 years for running as an Alternative for Germany party candidate in local elections, marking the second such case in Friesland district.

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe Staff Writer

AUGUST 19, 2026 AT 9:56 AM

Martina Müller, who had worked at a hospice in Jever since 2011, received a termination notice from her employer Diakonie Bremen after announcing her candidacy for the Friesland district council and the Wangerland municipal council. The dismissal came despite her lengthy tenure with the organization.

In a video released alongside AfD federal parliamentarian Martin Sichert, Müller revealed that her employer had given her one week to withdraw from the race. The ultimatum warned that failure to comply would result in legal action including extraordinary termination. The employer also threatened consequences if any further activities deemed extremist or breaches of loyalty occurred. Shortly after the deadline passed, Müller received her dismissal letter.

FRISTLOSE KÜNDIGUNG WEGEN KREISTAGSKANDIDATUR!

AfD-Kandidatin Martina Müller wurde von ihrem Arbeitgeber mission:lebenshaus gGmbH fristlos gekündigt – zuvor gab es eine Abmahnung inkl. Aufforderung zum Verzicht auf die Kandidatur für Kreistag Friesland und Gemeinderat… pic.twitter.com/Wb1k8cdrS6

— Christian Abel | AfD & Daytrading (@erdbeerbuegler) August 18, 2026

The local politician has vowed to fight back against what she considers an unjust firing. Müller announced she will exhaust all available legal remedies to challenge the termination. Her former employer has so far declined to comment on the matter publicly.

Sichert characterized the dismissal as an assault on democratic principles. He expressed alarm that employers in Germany would attempt to coerce workers into withdrawing from democratic elections, calling the situation unprecedented and unacceptable.

The incident is part of a broader pattern of obstacles facing AfD candidates in Friesland. Just days earlier, Sichert himself lost an emergency legal challenge against his exclusion from the district administrator election scheduled for September 13. He had sought court intervention to be reinstated on the ballot or alternatively to compel the district electoral committee to reconsider his candidacy before election day. The 6th Chamber of the administrative court rejected both requests.

The dual cases raise questions about electoral access and workplace political neutrality in Germany as the country approaches local elections. Müller’s employer, operating under the name mission:lebenshaus gGmbH, has not publicly explained the grounds for terminating a 15-year employee over political candidacy.

The September 13 elections will proceed with AfD representation diminished in Friesland following the administrative and employment actions against party candidates.

With information from Nius

Eleni Papadaki-Van Der Merwe

She was born in 1986 in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the granddaughter of an immigrant from Crete who settled in the Greek community of Johannesburg (one of the largest in Africa). She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg and a master’s degree in Journalism from Rhodes University in Grahamstown. She began her career at English-language media outlets in Johannesburg, covering politics and economics, with a focus on issues related to migration and the diaspora. She moved to Athens in 2015 to “return to her roots,” initially to pursue graduate studies, and has remained there permanently. She is married to an Afrikaner; they have two children and live in the southern suburbs of Athens.