The AfD kicked off its nationwide election campaign on Saturday in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, drawing a crowd of 4,500 pre-registered attendees. The event took a surprising turn with appearances by Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl and tech mogul Elon Musk, both voicing their support for the party’s platform.
Speaking via video from Vienna, Kickl, who may soon become Austria’s chancellor, praised the AfD, calling it the only party that listens to the people. “Millions of patriots worldwide are rooting for the AfD,” he proclaimed. Kickl accused Germany’s governing coalition, the “traffic light” parties, of deliberately harming the economy and suggested the opposition CDU is indistinguishable from them. He expressed optimism about the AfD’s future, drawing parallels to his own negotiations with Austria’s ÖVP. “Reality cannot be denied,” Kickl stressed, urging collaboration with citizens and praising AfD leader Alice Weidel as a superior competitor in the political arena.
Elon Musk also made a virtual appearance, expressing his belief that the AfD offers hope for Germany. “Germans should be proud of themselves again,” the Tesla founder declared, while criticizing the EU’s bureaucratic overreach and the influence of global elites. Musk decried multiculturalism for eroding unique cultures and emphasized the importance of freedom of speech for democracy. Encouraging AfD supporters, Musk called on them to “fight, fight, fight” for a brighter future.
Alice Weidel, the AfD’s chancellor candidate, outlined a sweeping agenda aimed at reversing Germany’s current policies. She called for a dramatic shift in migration, referencing recent violent incidents in Solingen, Magdeburg, and Aschaffenburg as examples of the need for change. “On day one, we will deport all those obligated to leave, along with criminals,” Weidel vowed, promising to shut down borders and end social benefits for non-citizens.
Weidel pledged to eliminate several government policies, including the heating law, the ban on combustion engines, and the supply chain law. She proposed tax exemptions for working pensioners, extensive tax breaks for citizens, and significant reductions in government spending, particularly on asylum programs. “We will delete the EEG and all climate projects,” she declared, criticizing the traffic light coalition and previous CDU-led governments for their “anti-economic policies.”
With its fiery rhetoric and high-profile endorsements, the AfD is positioning itself as a disruptive force in German politics ahead of the upcoming elections. Whether its promises resonate with voters remains to be seen.
