The former neo-Nazi activists behind Germany’s rising far-right star
Four former members of a banned organization modeled on the Hitler Youth are part of the inner circle of the man who could become the AfD’s first state premier.
Four former members of a banned neo-Nazi youth organization modeled on the Hitler Youth are close confidants of Ulrich Siegmund, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party candidate for premier in Saxony-Anhalt. The group, known as the Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend (HDJ), was outlawed by the German government in 2009 for its alleged focus on training a neo-Nazi elite. Despite their past association with the HDJ, all four men have resisted being seen as disqualifications for their roles in Siegmund's inner circle.
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