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[Funky Papa]

Would you look at that.

Frauke Petry, the prominent co-chair of Germany's nationalist AfD party, met with senior Russian politicians in Moscow at the weekend.

In a statement issued on Monday, the office of the populist politician said she traveled to Moscow to discuss cooperation between German and Russian regional assemblies. She also met "on the sidelines" with Duma speaker and Putin confidant Vyacheslav Volodin as well as deputy speaker Pyotr Tolstoy.

Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of Putin, attended the meeting with Petry
Volodin, President Vladmir Putin's former chief of staff, is widely seen as one of Russia's most influential officials, helping direct parliament's work and engineering elections.

...

There is no evidence that Russia financially supports AfD, unlike France's far-right National Front, but the AfD and other populist groups forged closer ties with Moscow in recent months and its politicians are often cited by Russian media outlets such as Russia Today (RT), the Kremlin-backed TV channel which has operated a German website for the past two years.

A leaked report by Germany's secret services into potential Russian subversion of Germany's democracy found little evidence that the Kremlin was directly trying to manipulate the country's public opinion. But the report suggested that indirect methods may be at work finding "possible Russian influence attempts" being made towards the AfD.

Please continue sinking in the polls, AfD.

So far Russia has been seen "cooperating" with Greece's Golden Dawn, France's National Front, Austria's FPÖ and Germany's AfD. I'm not sure if I'm missing any other prominent nationalist parties with similar ties.

 

[Xando]

Was reading this earlier.

AFD is in some trouble at the moment.

While i don't think they'll fall below 5% (unfortunately) they seem to be losing support of the anti merkel protest voters to the SPD.

Meanwhile they're getting dangerously close to basically being NPD2 (Nazi party) with the recent Höcke statements etc.

They got a small bump after the terror attack in december but polls are tanking at the moment.

 

[HazySaiyan]

All these nationalist parties having associations with Russia isn't suspicious at all!

 

[Siegcram]

Won't be enough. Big daddy Putin can't save them from sub 10% irrelevance.

 

[mnz]

I know there is a part of their whole movement (Pegida etc) with a hard-on for Putin, but this will look awful to the rest of the country.

 

[Devil's advocate]

I know there is a part of their whole movement (Pegida etc) with a hard-on for Putin, but this will look awful to the rest of the country.

They look awful to most of the country anyway, so that's not a problem.

 

[mnz]

They look awful to most of the country anyway, so that's not a problem.

It is if they're aiming to get more than 8% or whatever.

 

[Sloane]

I know there is a part of their whole movement (Pegida etc) with a hard-on for Putin, but this will look awful to the rest of the country.

Could be worse; she could be meeting with Easy D.

 

[Lime]

Fascists find common ground.

 

[Muffin1611]

Let these polls sink even further.

 

[Kinyou]

It's funny how the most right and the most left parties in germany like Putin. Putin seems to be only fond of the right though

 

[Clefargle]

All these nationalist parties having associations with Russia isn't suspicious at all!

Plenty of asshats on Reddit and twitter show up anytime someone points this out and act like liberals are running some "red scare" fear mongering about Russia when the evidence that Russia is overtly influencing geopolitics is right there. It's telling that their last line of defense boils down to "you think the US is so innocent?"

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

It's funny how the most right and the most left parties in germany like Putin. Putin seems to be only fond of the right though

Well considering their funding and support comes from Russia, it's not that shocking.

Authoritarian regimes going after extreme ends of partiesto create disruption and isolationism isn't new, it literally just happened in America.

 

[BrassDragon]

Would you look at that.


Please continue sinking in the polls, AfD.

So far Russia has been seen "cooperating" with Greece's Golden Dawn, France's National Front, Austria's FPÖ and Germany's AfD. I'm not sure if I'm missing any other prominent nationalist parties with similar ties.

There is a thing called the 'Russia Index' which tracks the voting behaviour of eurosceptic/populist parties in the European Parliament on issues that affect Russia.

Looking at my own country, it turns out Dutch populist party PVV (Geert Wilders) is the most predisposed to vote in favor of Russia's interests. We also know Wilders asked his rank and file to tone down anti-Putin rhetoric in 2014 and they've been wishy-washy on the downing of an airplane full of Dutch people over Ukraine, likely by pro-Russian militias.

No smoking gun so far but it fits a clear pattern of Russian subversion / agitprop across the globe so it wouldn't surprise me if there are links.

 

[Valhelm]

Weird that hardcore Islamophobes love Putin. Not only does Russia have the largest Muslim population in Europe, but Chechen Muslims are a huge part of Putin's coalition.

 

[Nightbird]

everything is good as long as they keep on sinking

 

[Quixzlizx]

Weird that hardcore Islamophobes love Putin. Not only does Russia have the largest Muslim population in Europe, but Chechen Muslims are a huge part of Putin's coalition.

I'm sure they enjoyed the show in Aleppo.

 

[Stinkles]

All these nationalist parties having associations with Russia isn't suspicious at all!

What an amazing country to look to for guidance. A paradise of freedom prosperity and happiness.

 

[KDR_11k]

They're already funded by Russia, is this really any worse?