Is it right for American troops to still be stationed in Germany more than 80 years after the end of the Second World War? Their presence has long inflamed passions on sections of the German Left, but some on the Right are now also questioning their continued presence.
Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) populist party, reignited this debate at the organisation’s regional conference last weekend. He was keen to remind supporters that there was more to the AfD than its anti-immigration stance. Its official programme demands the withdrawal of all remaining Allied troops from German soil. Keen to move the AfD on from being a “one-issue party”, as he put it, Chrupalla told delegates: “Let’s start implementing this with the removal of US troops from Germany.”
