Saxony PM Schulze Demands Reichardt Resign Over Alleged Hitler Salute
A German state premier demanded an AfD politician resign over allegations he performed a Hitler salute at a 2020 gathering, though the accused claims it was a joke knighting ceremony.
Sven Schulze, the Christian Democrat premier, called for Martin Reichardt to step down from his position as AfD state chairman and member of the federal parliament. Schulze declared that a Hitler salute represents a commitment rather than a slip-up, and that anyone displaying such a gesture has no place in parliament.
The premier also challenged AfD leading candidate Ulrich Siegmund to demonstrate leadership by demanding Reichardt’s expulsion and resignation. Schulze characterized any other response as approval and a Nazi confession, telling voters they would have a clear answer on whether they wish to tolerate such gestures in their state.
Competing Accounts of the Incident
The allegations emerged when the Politico podcast “Inside AfD” and Die Welt reported on Wednesday that Reichardt had shown the Hitler salute on private property before party members in 2020. A photograph shows Reichardt extending his left arm forward while physician Markus Motschmann kneels before him holding a piece of paper. Two witnesses reportedly claimed that Motschmann addressed Reichardt as “Mein Führer.”
Motschmann provided a different account when speaking to Junge Freiheit on Thursday. He stated that he had filled out a membership application at a barbecue when deputy state chairman Hans-Thomas Tillschneider suggested turning it into a ritual. Reichardt said he would knight the applicant in jest, and Motschmann knelt with his membership application while Reichardt performed the knighting with an imaginary sword.
Reichardt himself described the incident as a humorous knighting ceremony, conducted because Motschmann’s membership application had been rejected by the AfD federal board under Jörg Meuthen. Die Welt reported that this timeline could not be accurate, as the federal board rejected the application only later. On Wednesday in the federal parliament, Reichardt characterized the affair as an artificial smear campaign built up by the press, insisting he had never shown a Hitler salute anywhere in his entire life.
Opposition Parties Demand Accountability
Green party leading candidate Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz also called for Reichardt’s resignation, stating that a Hitler salute is neither a slip-up nor a bad joke. She argued that anyone behaving in such a manner as party chairman and federal parliamentarian is unacceptable for political office in Germany.
Eva von Angern, parliamentary group leader for the Left Party in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, claimed the AfD was showing its true face. She characterized the party and faction leadership as openly right-wing and accused them of adopting actions from the darkest chapter of German history.
Christian Democrat members of the federal parliament had already confronted Reichardt during a speech on Wednesday about the Politico podcast report and demanded his resignation. CDU parliamentarian Hendrik Hoppenstedt wrote on LinkedIn that anyone showing the Hitler salute has no business in the federal parliament. Fellow Saxony-Anhalt CDU member Sepp Müller emphasized that the incident confirms the correctness of the incompatibility resolution against AfD and the Left Party.
AfD Rallies Behind State Chairman
Reichardt received backing from within his own party. Leading candidate Siegmund shared a statement from the state party on social media that described the affair as a smear campaign. The party connected the incident to former state association general secretary Jan Wenzel Schmidt, who was expelled from the AfD federal parliamentary group in March over accusations of cronyism.
The Saxony-Anhalt AfD stated that the only newsworthy aspect of the Reichardt incident is that the photograph was taken at a private barbecue hosted by the former general secretary, the same person who had threatened to damage the party with a smear campaign at the end of last year.
Thuringia AfD state chairman Björn Höcke also defended Reichardt, commenting on the media coverage by suggesting it reflected an inability to think beyond 1933. He praised what he called a truly exemplary knighting.
With information from Junge Freiheit
