In Germany, an AfD lawmaker brought an extremist to closed-door military exercises — Spiegel

Hannes Gnauk, a member of the far-right party “Alternative for Germany,” invited a right-wing extremist as a guest to a closed-door Bundeswehr training session.

Gnauk registered Yannis Georg, an activist with the far-right “Identitarian Movement,” as his companion for the Bundeswehr training session in Münster through the Bundestag’s Committee on Defense.

Invitations to the exercise were sent to members of parliament, representatives of the defense industry, and academics. Systems that the army intends to procure were demonstrated at the training ground. Although filming and photography were prohibited, Georg published several photos on his Instagram account, which also drew the attention of the military intelligence agency MAD.

Georgi has extensive ties to far-right circles and works at a media agency that actively supported AdN candidate Ulrich Sigmund in Saxony-Anhalt. In the fall of 2025, Georg lost his Bundestag pass—which he had received to work with an AdN member of parliament—for security reasons.

The reason was a conviction—which had not yet become final—for offenses such as incitement to hatred and unlawful trespassing. Georgi, along with other members of the “Identitarian Movement,” climbed onto the roof of an outdoor swimming pool, set off fireworks, and shouted racist slogans.

Just recently, he organized a conference for “Identitarian Movement” activists. Among the guests was former U.S. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. Gnauk is a member of the “AdN” party’s defense committee; several years ago, the German military intelligence agency MAD added this former military officer to its list of known right-wing extremists.

This was reported by Spiegel.

Due to a dispute over rent, AfD staff in Berlin are working from home.

Alisa Weidel, co-chair of the pro-Russian party “Alternative for Germany,” stated that young Ukrainian men currently in Germany should return to Ukraine.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel commented on the election results in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) achieved significant success. A representative of the CDU called the situation in the country historically significant.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz canceled a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump that had been scheduled for September 9. This happened a few hours after Trump publicly congratulated the far-right “Alternative for Germany” on its success in the regional elections.