The German Journalists’ Union (DJV) has decided to boycott the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, dpa has learned. The decision comes just weeks before elections in several German states, in which the AfD may win.
According to a position paper from the federal board of the DJV, made available to dpa, the union declares that it “will not engage in political discussions with representatives of parties or groups that are against the constitution”, regardless of their chosen positions.
Also, no DJV representatives will be sent to events initiated or managed by anti-constitutional parties and their affiliated organizations, the statement said.
The new provision, which is not binding on the association’s members but does reflect the board’s position, currently only applies to the AfD, but could be extended to other parties in the future, the DJV said.
Voters are expected to cast their ballots in September in state elections in the eastern states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia. The anti-immigration AfD party is expected to have a strong position there and will compete for first place.
In Saxony and Thuringia, the AfD groups are classified as confirmed far-right at the state level, while the domestic intelligence service monitors the party at the national level as a suspected extremist group.
The DJV, a professional association and trade union, is one of the largest media organizations in Germany. It has around 27,000 members, although numbers have declined in recent years.
