Mutual accusations of blackmail and assault overshadow AfD state election congress in Germany

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) state congress in North Rhine-Westphalia ended in chaos on Sunday.

During the selection of the 22nd position on the candidate list for next year’s state elections, delegates aligned with the far-right Bundestag member Matthias Helferich proposed more than 100 candidates. This move was reportedly designed to block the vote in the town of Marl, halting progress on the list to force negotiations for subsequent positions.

Earlier in the candidate selection process, supporters of State Co-Chairman and lead candidate Martin Vincentz, who represents the moderate wing of the party, had prevailed. The defeat of Zacharias Schalley—a figure close to Helferich—by a candidate from the Vincentz camp triggered significant discontent within the radical wing of the party. Representing approximately 40% of the delegates, Helferich’s supporters reportedly demanded strong representation in the next state parliamentary group.

During the congress, Helferich claimed that Bundestag member Knuth Meyer-Soltau, a member of the Vincentz camp, physically assaulted him. Speaking to the newspaper WELT on Sunday, the 37-year-old Helferich described the incident:

“Meyer-Soltau was passing by the row where I was sitting. He was arguing with another member. When he turned back, while I was sitting in my chair, he shouldered me and shouted, ‘Shut up, you idiot!'”

Helferich added: “I do not know if he wanted to knock me out of my chair. However, because he insulted me in anger, I cannot rule out the possibility that this was a deliberate attack.”

An email exchange sent to the federal executive board and state management revealed that Helferich filed a criminal complaint on Monday.

“Meyer-Soltau hit my chair and my body, either intentionally or through negligence”

In the complaint filed by Helferich, he stated: “Meyer-Soltau hit my chair and my upper body hard, either intentionally or through negligence; I was only able to avoid falling by holding onto the edge of the table.” The complaint also named two witnesses.

In his letter to the party leadership, Helferich wrote: “Since numerous similar incidents of electoral law significance occurred at the state election congress, I believe the duty to maintain party order falls to the Federal Executive Board.”

Meyer-Soltau, a 61-year-old lawyer like Helferich, denied the allegations. Speaking to WELT on Sunday, the lawmaker said: “I reject the accusation being made.”

Meyer-Soltau suggested that Helferich viewed him as a powerful opponent because he had previously acted as the negotiator for the state executive board in the party’s expulsion proceedings against Helferich before the Federal Arbitration Court. The party court recently rejected the expulsion request.

“It is clear that this situation has not had a positive impact on our relationship,” Meyer-Soltau said. “Mr. Helferich, having suffered a heavy defeat at the nomination meeting, is clearly seeking satisfaction through other means. I will hand the matter over to my lawyer and take legal action.”

A letter sent to Helferich by Meyer-Soltau’s lawyer, which was leaked to the press, stated: “My client has never insulted you or physically assaulted you.” The letter demanded that Helferich cease repeating the claim and sign a cease-and-desist declaration carrying a contractual penalty.

Additionally, Meyer-Soltau’s lawyer filed a criminal complaint with the Dortmund Prosecutor’s Office for defamation. The petition submitted to the prosecutor’s office stated: “The accusation of physical assault is highly defamatory, calculated to permanently damage my client’s public reputation, and socially discredit him.”

Allegations of blackmail made against delegates at the congress

Allegations of threats against delegates also emerged at the state congress in Marl. Helferich ran against Klaus Esser, a close associate of Vincentz, for the 13th position on the candidate list. Esser, who needed just one vote to be elected in the first round, only secured a majority in the second round of voting.

Following the announcement of the results, a delegate took the stage to claim that before the second round, a state executive board member from the Vincentz camp went to the rows of the Wuppertal district association and threatened that a state lawmaker from Wuppertal would be expelled from the parliamentary group if the necessary votes for Esser were not delivered. The delegate announced that a complaint would be filed regarding the matter.

A spokesperson for AfD Co-Leader Alice Weidel told the media outlet “The Pioneer”: “Weidel does not approve of this situation. Such things must not happen.”

Other allegations of threats were voiced through the hall microphones during the congress. One delegate claimed that a candidate had been threatened by a district councilor and a district chairman.

“He was told that if he did not withdraw his candidacy, he would have no future in this party. There are numerous witnesses who can confirm this,” the delegate asserted.

Another delegate reported that a young woman was pressured by a district chairman who asked whether she would “lend herself to this game and submit to blackmail,” warning her that the situation would have “consequences for her in the district association.”

Marco Vogt, the Deputy Chairman of the Düsseldorf AfD and an ally of Helferich, said during his candidacy speech that young members who participated in the list disruptions had been threatened by their employers present in the hall.

Another candidate, a municipal councilor from Würselen, stated that a district administrator from the Aachen region had issued an implicit threat, telling him he would make many enemies in his own association if he did not withdraw his candidacy.

Candidate Leon Biallawons directly targeted lawmaker Knuth Meyer-Soltau, saying: “I tell you clearly, dear Knuth, I will not allow myself to be threatened by you. Because, dear Knuth, it is not you but the grassroots who will decide who succeeds in this party, and the grassroots will assert their will in the long term.”

Meyer-Soltau declined to comment on these allegations, stating: “I do not wish to comment on such baseless claims.”

Other tactics were used to slow down the proceedings at Sunday’s congress. One delegate requested a 30-minute recess because “there is an ice cream truck outside,” though this request was rejected. The convention manager, Julian Flak, was heard calling out to a delegate: “Take that garden furniture outside immediately!”

A message shared on Saturday in a chat group close to Vincentz stated that the “self-proclaimed patriotic group” had threatened to completely block the congress. It was alleged that the core group led by Helferich planned to deliberately disrupt the flow of the congress to force their opponents to the negotiating table.

Weidel accused of undermining efforts in chat group

On Sunday, in the same chat group, it was written that the sabotage action was being coordinated by Federal Deputy Chairman Sven Tritschler and Helferich. The message claimed that Tritschler had discussed the move with “his boss Alice Merkel”—a reference to AfD leader Alice Weidel. “This is a clear operation of attrition. We will not bow to an Alice Merkel,” the message read.

By Monday night, the ballot for the 22nd list position contained the names of 81 candidates. Some individuals who announced their candidacies withdrew before speaking. The results are expected to be announced next weekend.

The North Rhine-Westphalia AfD association has allocated a total of four weekends for candidate selection meetings. With the party projected by public opinion polls to win between 30 and 40 seats in the state parliament, competition for the top spots on the list remains intense.

An article titled “AfD-NRW Grassroots Resist Cartel Partyization,” published Monday on a Telegram channel close to Helferich, described the events as a “heroic act” and an “impressive reaction of an alert, idealistic grassroots.” The mass candidacy process was characterized as a “combination of Carl Schmitt’s partisan theory with a democratic liberation move unprecedented in AfD history.”

The article argued that if lead candidate Vincentz wants to translate polling success into a strong election result, he must unify the party by granting Helferich’s supporters viable, electable positions on the list.