Wilko Möller is a German politician (AfD, formerly FDP) and member of Landtag of Brandenburg since 2019. He is member of AfD Brandenburg, which is classified as right-wing extremist by the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution. His 2024 campaign advertisements were investigated as potentially violating German laws regarding allowable speech and eventually removed by police. Despite the controversy, he won re-election.
Wilko Möller | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Landtag of Brandenburg | |
| Assumed office 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hanover, West-Germany (now Germany) |
| Citizenship | Germany |
| Political party | Alternative für Deutschland |
| Children | five |
Early life
editMöller grew up in Hanover and later moved to Erftstadt in West-Germany. He completed training to become a merchant[clarification needed] and in 1989 he started training to become a mid-level officer of the Bundesgrenzschutz.[citation needed]
He served as a police officer in Frankfurt (Oder), and in 2019 was the leader of the local chapter of the AfD.[1] He held anti-migrant positions, claiming that the city's refugee population would eventually bring an end to "law and order".[2]
Political career
editHe was active in the Junge Union of the CDU, and in 2008 became a member of the Free Democratic Party. He left the party in 2012,[citation needed] becoming a member of AfD in 2013.[3] One year later he became a member of the city council of Frankfurt (Oder).[3] He ran for mayor of Frankfurt (Oder) in 2018, gaining 17% of the votes.[4]
In 2019, Möller was elected as a direct candidate for the Brandenburg state parliament with 24.8%.[3] From 2019 to 2024 he sat on the committees for Home Affairs, for Internal Affairs, for European Affairs, and for Legal Affairs.[3] He ran for federal election in 2021, but lost to Mathias Papendieck.[3] He has been very vocal in his stance against refugees as well as in support of Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.[3]
2024 campaign
editThe Frankfurt (Oder) public prosecutor's office investigated Wilko Möller on suspicion of using Nazi symbolism.[5] The district chairwoman of Die Linke in Frankfurt, Anja Kreisel, informed the prosecutor's office about Möller's campaign poster, arguing that it shows a hidden Nazi salute.[6] Möller responded that the raised arms were intended to evoke a rooftop, not mirrored salutes, but the party has frequently used Nazi language as well as symbols, such as Goebbels' "Lügenpresse".[5] The site from which the stock photo was purchased, U.S.-based Depositphotos, also stated that Möller's use violated their terms as they specifically restricted use of that image to non-political purposes.[7]
Möller was temporarily decommissioned from the police force as a result of the controversy,[8] and police removed the posters 5 August, after the prosecutor's office declared them unconstitutional.[9] Despite the controversy, he was re-elected to the Landtag with a count of 46.4% of the ballots cast.[10]
Personal life
editMöller is married and has five children.[3]
References
edit- ^ Fürstenau, Marcel (31 May 2019). "A border town's Left government and AfD voters". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ Witte, Griff; Beck, Luisa (17 July 2019). "This German city had few foreigners. Then refugees changed it in some surprising ways". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gutke, Thomas (20 November 2023). "AfD Frankfurt (Oder) geht wieder mit Wilko Möller ins Rennen" [AfD Frankfurt (Oder) enters the race again with Wilko Möller]. Moz.de (in German). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Oberbürgermeisterwahl in Frankfurt (Oder): Stichwahl" [Mayoral election in Frankfurt (Oder): runoff election]. Süddeutsche.de (in German). 4 March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ a b Crossland, David (31 July 2024). "AfD accused of using Nazi symbolism in election poster". The Times. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ Brandenburg, Antenne (1 August 2024). "Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen AfD-Abgeordneten wegen Plakat mit möglichem "Hitlergruß"" [Public prosecutor investigates AfD MP over poster with possible "Hitler salute"]. www.rbb24.de (in German). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "AfD-Wahlplakat mit möglichem "Hitlergruß" verstößt gegen Bildagentur-Bedingungen" [AfD election poster with possible "Hitler salute" violates photo agency conditions]. Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). 31 July 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ Kayales, M (29 January 2024). "Ab in den Eimer: AfD diffamiert Grundgesetz in Frankfurt (Oder)" [Into the bin: AfD defames the Basic Law in Frankfurt (Oder)]. Oderwelle (in German). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Polizei hängt umstrittene Wahlplakate der AfD in Frankfurt (Oder) ab" [Police take down controversial AfD election posters in Frankfurt (Oder)]. Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). 8 August 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ Gutke, Thomas (23 September 2024). "Brandenburg-Wahl: Wo in Frankfurt (Oder) über 50 Prozent Wilko Möller (AfD) wählten" [Brandenburg election: Where in Frankfurt (Oder) over 50 percent voted for Wilko Möller (AfD)]. www.moz.de (in German). Retrieved 24 September 2024.
External links
edit- Wilko Möller at Brandenburg Landtag
- Wilko Möller at AfD