CEOs of German companies ranging from chip manufacturer Infineon (IFXGn.DE) to chemicals maker Evonik (EVKn.DE) are alarmed about the threat far-right extremism poses for Europe’s largest economy as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party heads polls in the country’s eastern states due to vote this year and is currently second in national surveys.
Last week’s report that two senior AfD members took part in a meeting where plans to carry out mass deportations of citizens of foreign origin were discussed has sparked widespread outrage across the nation. It also raised fears that Germany’s appeal as an attractive destination for foreign investment and skilled workers could be tarnished just when a shortage of domestic labour is hampering growth.
The nationalist AfD has disclaimed the proposals reportedly discussed at the meeting, claiming they do not represent party policy. Germany’s domestic spy agency has been warning for some time of extremist elements within the party.
“Hate and exclusion should not have any place in our society,” Infineon chief Jochen Hanebeck posted on LinkedIn on Wednesday. “The idea of so-called remigration is inhumane.”
Tens of thousands of Germans, mindful of the parallels with the Nazi past, have staged street protests against the AfD. Politicians have considered demanding that the party be banned. Germany’s principal parties have ruled out cooperating with the AfD to ensure that it is kept out of government. Critics, nonetheless, worry that the party is dragging mainstream politics further to the right.
AfD is on track to do well in communal elections in June and could even come first in elections being held in three east German states in September. Saxony, one of the three, is where Infineon is building a 5 billion euro chip plant, the company’s largest ever single investment.
In early November, Evonik chief Christian Kullmann told Sueddeutsche Zeitung that it was vital responsible leadership make clear that AfD “damages our economy, our society, our future”.
Duesseldorf airport CEO Lars Redeligx described the reported deportation plans as a constitutional threat and “poison for Germany as an economic location” that put the country’s peaceful coexistence and prosperity in jeopardy, while sending out “a fatal signal to the world.”
Companies like optical electronics group Jenoptik (JENGn.DE) have responded with the launch of advertising campaigns designed to celebrate Germany’s diversity and openness.
