On Thursday January 25, Marine Le Pen warned her German partners in the AfD, at the heart of a controversy for advocating a form of "remigration", by questioning "the capacity" to ally "in the same group" in the Strasbourg Parliament, as is the case today. "We will have to discuss together differences as important as these, and see whether or not these differences have (…) consequences on our ability to ally ourselves in the same group", the French far-right leader told a press conference in Paris.
The Alternative für Deutschland ("Alternative for Germany", AfD) party caused controversy a fortnight ago following press revelations of a meeting attended by several of its leaders in November in Potsdam, near Berlin, at which a plan for the mass expulsion of foreigners or people of foreign origin, including German citizens, was discussed.
Giant demonstrations against the party, accused of undermining democracy, have been held across the country for several days. "I totally disagree with the proposal that would have been discussed or would have been decided within the framework of this meeting," hammered Rassemblement National leader Marine Le Pen on Thursday, saying for her part that she defends "all French people, whatever their conditions for acquiring nationality".
"She added: "We have never defended any kind of 'remigration', in the sense of withdrawing French nationality from people who have acquired it, even under conditions that we contest. Lepéniste MEPs currently sit in the same group as AfD MEPs in the Strasbourg Parliament. They have also held several joint meetings in recent weeks in the run-up to the European elections on June 9. "I consider that we are in flagrant opposition to the AfD", insisted the MP from Pas-de-Calais.
