The S&D Group welcomed the decision by the ECR Group in the European Parliament to call for the removal of members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party from their political family following inhumane comments about shooting refugees.
Udo Bullmann, Head of the German Delegation to the S&D Group, said:
"To say that police should be able to shoot refugees is vile, dehumanising and reminiscent of the darkest times in Europe and Germany's past. We therefore welcome the decision by the ECR Group to call for the removal of its AFD Members. It is important that a party willing to make comments like this is not given the legitimacy of sitting in a large democratic grouping in the European Parliament. We urge the Group to now look at comments and actions of its other Members - namely the Danish People's Party & Finns Party.
S&D Group Vice-President Tanja Fajon said:
"The rhetoric being used by the far-right regarding refugees is increasingly violent and hateful - it must be challenged and condemned at every opportunity. From vile comments like those of the AFD and other far-right parties to more casual remarks on refugees, it seems that we are forgetting we are talking about human beings not animals. Both in our words and in our actions we are losing our basic human decency in Europe. Ahead of next week's European Council it is essential that we re-find it and make clear that we stand by our commitments to universal human rights."
MEPs involved
Related content
Find out more
