Ulrich Siegmund and Tino Chrupalla: Thorsten Frei criticizes the singing of the GDR anthem at an AfD event

Head of the Chancellery Thorsten Frei (CDU) clearly criticized the singing of the GDR anthem at an AfD event in Saxony-Anhalt. He described the incident as “extremely strange.” It is particularly problematic when political representatives take part in such an action, said Frei on Welt TV. This is particularly true “when it is done by political representatives who obviously want to associate political messages with it.”

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening during a panel discussion AfD in Dessau-Roßlau. Those invited to the event included AfD federal leader Tino Chrupalla, the party’s top candidate for the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, and the cabaret artist Uwe Steimle.

At the end of the event, the German national anthem was supposed to be sung. Instead, Steimle began with the GDR anthem “Resurrected from Ruins.” Chrupalla and Siegmund sang some of these together with Steimle and numerous visitors. Only then was the German national anthem sung.

A new state parliament will be elected in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6th. According to current surveys, the AfD is well ahead of the CDU, which is currently the Prime Minister. The AfD regional association in Saxony-Anhalt is classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.