Overview
- Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, refused in a Politico podcast to label the Holocaust the worst crime of humanity, saying he would not make such a judgment.
- The AfD’s federal party distanced itself and stated that the Holocaust is the worst crime of humanity.
- Josef Schuster of the Central Council of Jews condemned the remarks as relativizing Nazi crimes and called the stance shameless.
- Further backlash came from historian Jens-Christian Wagner and CDU figures, with CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann accusing Siegmund of trivializing the Holocaust and fueling antisemitism.
- In the same interview, Siegmund praised the term “remigration,” downplayed the Potsdam meeting, and defended “Sieg–Mund” chants, as polls show the AfD leading in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of the September 6, 2026 election.