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MUNICH — A U.S. citizen suspected of offering intelligence about the American military to China has been arrested in Frankfurt, German authorities said Thursday. Identified only as Martin D. under German privacy law, the federal prosecutors office said in a statement that the suspect “worked for the U.S. armed forces in Germany,” until recently. Prosecutors added that, as some point this year, the suspect “contacted Chinese government agencies and offered to provide them with sensitive U.S. military information for forwarding to a Chinese intelligence service.” They did not say when the offer took place. The suspect “obtained the information in question during his work with the U.S. armed forces,” prosecutors said, adding that investigators had searched his apartment. It added that she gave the information to a second Chinese national, named as Jian G., who is being prosecuted separately.

Persons: Martin D, “, ”, X, Jian G, Jian, Maximilian Krah Organizations: U.S, Prosecutors, Federal, of Justice Locations: MUNICH, China, Frankfurt, Germany, ”, Beijing, Leipzig, Halle, German

☆ Protesters and police clash as Germany’s far-right AfD begin conference
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Protesters have clashed with police as a conference of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party got underway in the western city of Essen on Saturday. Police scuffle with protesters who block access near the venue where AfD delegates are holding a conference. According to the organization, around 7,000 Widersetzen protesters were on the streets of Essen on Saturday morning, with more expected in the afternoon. In May, prominent AfD politician Maximilian Krah drew condemnation after suggesting not all members of the Nazi SS were criminals. Krah also caused friction within his party, with the AfD saying his statements had caused “massive damage” to their election campaign.

Persons: ”, Christian Mang, Widersetzen, Maximilian Krah, Krah Organizations: CNN — Protesters, Police, Reuters, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Nazi SS Locations: Germany, Essen, ” Essen

☆ Why Europe’s youth are flirting with the far-right
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

In this month’s European Parliament elections, far-right parties performed predictably well – but especially, and unexpectedly, among young people. Far-right parties enjoyed a similar uptick in support in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and continued to do well in Italy. Gonzalo Fuentes/ReutersBut young voters appear less concerned by these roots, says Simon Schnetzer, author of a recent survey of Germany’s youth. But the burst in support for far-right parties could spell a darker trend. This success of far-right parties should be a warning to Europe’s mainstream.

Persons: CNN — Pollsters, “, –, ”, Roberto Foa, ” Foa, “ I’m, Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, Annegret Hilse, You’d, Le Pen, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Jordan Bardella, Arthur Prevot, Macron’s, Prevot, Macron, Jonathan Verbeken, Gonzalo Fuentes, Simon Schnetzer, “ Young, Lee Heinrichs, ” Heinrichs, Ursula von der Leyen, Maximilian Krah, ” Nigel Farage, Maja Smiejkowska, Nigel Farage –, Farage, Andrew Tate, emasculated, Tate –, Tate, shouldn’t, vociferously, Foa Organizations: CNN, Centre, Democracy, University of Cambridge, National, Confederation, Reuters, White House, German Green Party, Greens, Reform UK Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Brussels, Europe, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Italy, Berlin, Britain, Jordan, Paris, France, Paris ’, Marseille, Ukraine, Syria, Sylt, Deutschland, London, Romania

☆ Opinion: Germany’s 16-year-olds voted for the first time in European Parliamentary elections. The far-right results were scary
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Opinion Paul Hockenos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What a shock then – and coming days after the 80th anniversary of D-Day - that many German first-timers threw their votes disproportionally behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Paul HockenosWhat a shock then – and coming days after the 80th anniversary of D-Day — that many German first-timers threw their votes disproportionally behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. A full 95% of German AfD voters said Germany should limit the flow of foreigners and refugees into Germany. Not exactly the credentials of a party you would think would appeal to the next generation of German voters. But they must vent this pique constructively, as the extreme right has no answers to these problems (which, oddly, I’ve heard hard right voters say they recognize.)

Persons: Paul Hockenos, ”, Read, “ We’ll, Paul Hockenos Hayyan, —, Maximilian Krah, weren’t, Adam Berry, doesn’t, “, it’s, I’ve Organizations: Berlin CNN, European Union, verve, Greens, Parliamentary, Christian Democratic Union, Christian Social Union, CDU, CSU, SS, Democracy, Nazi, BBC Locations: Berlin, Europe, New Berlin, Austria, Belgium, Malta, Greece, Germany, Hamburg, Deutschland, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, France

☆ Pressure grows on Germany's Scholz after election drubbing by the far right
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The SPD lost support from the 2019 election, winning just 13.9% of the latest votes. Incremental gains meanwhile turned Germany's opposition, the CDU (Christian democrats), into the strongest party, with 23.7% of support. At a national level, the AfD was last ahead of the SPD and in second place overall, according to a leading general election poll. Earlier this year, one of Krah's employees who was based in the European Parliament was arrested for allegedly spying on the parliament for China. watch nowThe AfD's second-in-line for the European Parliament, Petr Bystron, faced allegations of bribery and money laundering, which were linked to Russia and to spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Koenig Heinrich, Ying Tang, Maximilian Krah, Krah, Petr Bystron, What's, Scholz, Marcel Fratzscher, Scholz's, Emmanuel Macron, Fratzscher, Holger Schmieding Organizations: SPD, Union, Scholz's SPD, Greens, CDU, Nazi regime's SS, Parliament, ZDF, German Institute for Economic Research, CNBC, Deutsche Bank Locations: Duisburg, Germany, France's Rassemblement, China, Russia

☆ Here’s what we learned from the European elections as a far-right surge upends national politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Far-right parties across the continent had strong showings, but their momentum did not cause the center ground of European politics to cave in – as many had predicted. Those gains did materialize; far-right groups were expected to secure a record number of seats in the European Parliament, dealing a major blow to the continent’s establishment leaders. Most of the far-right gains were concentrated in countries that elect large numbers of seats: France, Italy and Germany. Several other far-right parties are among the non-aligned (NI) group, predicted to secure 45 seats. The center holdsDespite a far-right surge, the centrist European People’s Party (EPP) was the biggest single winner on Sunday night.

Persons: –, Maximilian Krah, Ursula von der Leyen, ”, Von der Leyen, ” Von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le, ” Macron, Marion Maréchal, Jordan Bardella, Alexander De Croo, ” De Croo, Meloni, Tusk, Giorgia Meloni, Brothers, Benito Mussolini, von der Leyen, Donald Tusk’s, Viktor Orbán, Bas Organizations: CNN, Green, Nazi, European People’s Party, EPP, Progressive Alliance of Socialists, Commission, Ukraine, Marine, Assembly, French, Ministry, Italy’s, Italy, Law and Justice, PiS, European, Fidesz, Greens, Bas Eickhout, EFA, European Green Party, European Commission Locations: –, France, Europe, Italy, Germany, Brussels, France’s, “, Ukraine, Poland

☆ Far right surges in European Parliament elections but center still holds
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Far-right parties are predicted to win a record number of seats in the European Parliament, a result that, if confirmed, would deliver a stinging rebuke to Brussels’ political mainstream and add uncertainty to Europe’s future direction. Most of the far-right gains were concentrated in countries that elect large numbers of seats: France, Italy and Germany. Alternative for Germany (AfD) party co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla cheer the exit poll in Berlin, Germany, June 9, 2024. Annegret Hilse/ReutersWhile the far-right surge may further complicate Brussels’ bid for unity, the far-right parties themselves remain relatively divided. Several other far-right parties are among the non-aligned (NI) group, predicted to secure 45 seats.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, –, ”, Europe’s centrists, Le, Emmanuel Macron, Jordan Bardella, ” Macron, Brigitte Macron, Stephane Lemouton, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, shored, ” von der Leyen, Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, Annegret Hilse, Maximilian Krah, Roberta Metsola Organizations: CNN, European People’s Party, EPP, Macron’s Renaissance Party, Socialists, Social Democrats, Christian Democrats Party, CDU, EU, Forces, Reuters, Nazi, SS, Brussels Locations: Brussels, France, Italy, Germany, France’s, Europe, Britain, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Berlin

CNN —A far-right coalition of parties in the European Parliament has expelled Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party following their leading candidate’s comments about Nazi SS soldiers during World War II. “The ID Group no longer wants to be associated with the incidents involving Maximilian KRAH, head of the AfD list for the European elections,” it said. Krah, the AfD’s leading candidate in next month’s European elections, has already been banned from making public appearances by his party, following controversial comments about Nazi SS soldiers in Italian newspaper La Repubblica over the weekend. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen from her National Rassemblement (RN) Party has also said they would no longer sit in the same parliamentary group as the AfD after next month’s elections. CNN’s James Frater reported from London, Nadine Schmidt and Seb Shukla from Berlin, and Barbie Nadeau from Rome.

Persons: ”, –, Maximilian KRAH, Krah, Adolf Hilter, Marine Le, CNN’s James Frater, Nadine Schmidt, Seb Shukla, Barbie Nadeau Organizations: CNN, Nazi SS, Democracy Group, La Repubblica, SS, Schutzstaffel, Rassemblement, Party Locations: Germany, London, Berlin, Rome

☆ Far-Right E.U. Lawmakers Remove Germany’s AfD Party Before Elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A far-right group in the European Union’s Parliament announced on Thursday that it had ousted the Alternative for Germany party from its coalition, dealing a severe blow to a key alliance just two weeks before E.U. In a statement on its official X account, the Identity and Democracy Group wrote that it had decided to exclude Alternative for Germany, or AfD, because of comments made by Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s lead candidate in the upcoming elections. In an interview last week, Mr. Krah appeared to minimize the crimes carried out by the SS, the Nazi paramilitary force that killed millions of people during the Holocaust. “One million soldiers wore the SS uniform,” Mr. Krah said to La Repubblica and The Financial Times in a joint interview. You have to establish individual guilt.”In its statement, Identity and Democracy wrote that it “no longer wants to be associated with the incidents involving Maximilian Krah, head of the AfD list for the European elections.”

Persons: Maximilian Krah, Krah, Mr, ” Organizations: Union’s, Democracy Group, SS, Nazi, Repubblica, Financial Times, Waffen, Democracy Locations: Germany

☆ Germany's far-right AfD party is finding success on TikTok — as its popularity among young voters grows
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Cardboard stands with the AfD logo lie on the chairs in the Wiesenhalle before the start of the AfD Brandenburg state party conference. Traditionally, young voters are seen as more left-leaning, but the voting data suggests some divergences, with experts pointing to social media and what they describe as online echo chambers. A study published earlier this month showed that over half of those aged 14-29 in Germany use social media to stay updated about news and politics. But Berendsen told CNBC that it is one of the social media platforms where the tunnel-effect can be an issue. An AfD spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that its videos and texts posted on social media are tailored to young people.

Persons: Monika Skolimowska, Infratest Dimap, Eva Berendsen, Anne Frank, Baerbock, Maximilian Krah, TikTok, Berendsen Organizations: Getty, Russia, Anne, CNBC Locations: Hesse, Germany

German national Jian G, who worked for AfD MEP Maximilian Krah, was arrested by Saxony State criminal police in Dresden and had his residences searched, the prosecutor’s office said early Tuesday. The aide was later suspended by the European Parliament, a spokesman for the body told CNN. Prosecutors said he passed on information about “negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament” to China in January. The far-right AfD party has nine seats in the European Parliament, and is competing alongside Germany’s traditional parties in the European elections in June. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the homes and workplace of the trio were searched in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg.

Persons: Jian G, Maximilian Krah, ”, Jens Schlueter, Jian, “, Krah, Nancy Faeser, Thomas R, – Herwig, Ina F, –, Wang Wenbin Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, International Trade, Security, Defence, Foreign Trade, Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of State Security, ” Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Crown Prosecution Service Locations: China, Europe, Saxony, Dresden, Germany, United States, Bad Homburg

☆ Germany arrests EU Parliament staff member on China espionage charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Germany has arrested a national on charges of spying for the Chinese secret service and leaking information from the European Parliament, Germany's federal prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. The man was also accused of spying on members of the Chinese opposition in Germany, according to a CNBC translation. The alleged spy was named as Jian G. and identified as an employee of a German member of the European Parliament since 2019. "If it is confirmed that there was espionage for Chinese intelligence services from within the European Parliament, then that would be an attack on European democracy from within. The ministry also said it hoped that Germany would stop using the so-called spy threat to manipulate political narratives, according to Reuters.

Persons: Scholz, Jian G, Maximilian Krah, Nancy Faeser Organizations: Tongji University, CNBC, Reuters Locations: China, Germany, Brussels

☆ Far-Right German Legislator Arrested After 'Sieg Heil' Salutes Heard
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - A legislator with the far-right Alternative for Germany party was arrested on Monday on charges including displaying forbidden totalitarian symbols, with neighbours of his fraternity complaining of often hearing the Nazi "Sieg Heil" victory salute. Newly elected Daniel Halemba, 22, is due to take up his seat in the Bavarian regional parliament on Thursday. He is a member of the Teutonia Prague student fraternity, whose premises were raided by police in September. The party, second in polls in several eastern states, achieved record results in the western states of Bavaria and Hesse on Oct. 8. Halemba, who joined the fraternity as a law student in Wuerzburg, has named Bjoern Hoecke, leader of the AfD's far-right wing, as his political role model.

Persons: Daniel Halemba, Halemba, Maximilian Krah, Hoecke, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More, Nick Macfie Organizations: BERLIN, Bavarian Locations: Germany, Prague, Bavaria, Hesse, Wuerzburg

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