In an apparent act of political spite, the executive group of a municipal council pressured a shipping company to withdraw its services from the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) parliamentary group.
A cross-party group of local councillors on the north German island of Sylt pushed steamboat owners Adler Schiffe to terminate a one-off contract with the AFD, who planned to stage a public dialogue in Kiel aboard a historic paddle steamer.
Instead, the previously apolitical-looking shipping company announced:
In light of current developments, the planned voyage on the Freya on June 13, 2026, will not take place, as previously announced.
The firm stayed tight-lipped as to the nature of the “current developments,” which likely included Sylt’s mayor Tina Haltermann speaking directly with the shipowner. The AfD is not represented on the local council, but its member of parliament Kurt Kleinschmidt described the lobbying of the shipping company as “highly undemocratic.”
Sylt council’s petty provocation comes at a time when some German politicians are questioning the democratic legitimacy of the anti-AfD ‘firewall,’ with BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht calling it “completely idiotic.”
