Journalists union, DJV to boycott far-right AfD ahead of regional votes

By Anna Ringle, dpa I Thursday, July 18, 2024

 

BERLIN – The German Journalists’ Association (DJV) has decided to boycott the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, dpa has learned, a move that comes just weeks ahead of elections in several German states that could see the AfD come out on top.

According to a position paper issued by the DJV’s federal board and made available to dpa, the union states it won’t “hold political discussions with representatives of anti-constitutional parties or groups” regardless of their elected positions.

Nor will DJV representatives be sent to events initiated or controlled by anti-constitutional parties and organizations associated with them, the statement continues.

So far, the new provision, which is not binding for the association’s members but reflects the stance of the executive board, applies to the AfD, but could be expanded to include further parties in future, the DJV said.

Voters are set to cast their ballots in September state parliamentary elections in the eastern states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia, where the anti-immigrant AfD is expected to make a strong showing and contend for first place.

In Saxony and Thuringia, the AfD’s state-level groups have been classified as confirmed far-right extremist, while domestic intelligence is monitoring the party as a suspected extremist group at national level.

The DJV, a professional association and union, is one of the largest media organizations in Germany. It has some 27,000 members, though numbers have been on decline in recent years.

In the statement, the union justified its move by citing concerns over press freedom in Germany.

“It can no longer be ruled out that extreme and anti-press political forces will come to power in the federal states and realize their anti-constitutional ideas of media policy,” it said.

The DJV also accused the AfD of using hate and agitation to promote a social climate in which attacks on journalists have become commonplace.