Participants of a German youth group event have been caught encouraging the ghettoization of Jews as well as labour camps for people of foreign origin.
An undercover investigation by broadcaster RTL revealed participants on a Junge Alternative (JA) event calling for Jews to be put in ghettos.
The group, which presents itself as the youth wing of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has been criticised for its hard-right leanings in the past.
AfD, which is legally separate from JA, is currently in second place in opinion polls behind the main opposition conservatives.
Junge Alternative has come under fire following the footage from RTL (file pic)
Getty
At an event organized by the JA in Saxony, south east Germany, RTL reporters heard the antisemitic statements made by participants.
When talking about migrants and Jews, one said: "I would just intern them first, put them in a ghetto. They have a duty to go to work. You could set up workshops like this, for example. Of course, they have to perform to ensure they get food and a warm roof over their heads."
The reporters asked how it would be implemented. They responded saying: "There needs to be a certain willingness to use violence among the German people... As a state, I would look for volunteers who are prepared to shoot women and children if necessary."
One participant is quoted as saying in the video: "The solution with the Jews would be to assign them an area where they can all go."
According to the report, there was also discussion about how the "healthy population" could be maintained. They said: "A married couple must have at least four children, at least three of whom must live past the age of five."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Protests against the RfD were held across the country
Reuters
The two reporters conducting the investigation observed sentences made by participants in the presence of the respective JA representatives who did not intervene.
Earlier this week, an administrative court in Cologne ruled that JA may be classified by Germany's domestic intelligence service as a "certified right-wing extremist endeavor."
RTL reports that both AfD and JA have distanced themselves from comments made while on the hike. Press officer for the AfD Michael Pfalzgraf said: "We expressly distance ourselves from unconstitutional and inhumane statements such as 'ghettoization,' 'internment' or 'death penalty' – if they were actually made that way."
Der Spiegel reports that a JA spokesperson suggested that undercover agents from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution intentionally made anti-constitutional statements, without providing any evidence for this.
Protests were held across GermanyGettyIt comes following mass backlash from the rise of AfD in Germany when senior members reportedly attended a meeting where plans for mass deportations of citizens of foreign origin were discussed.
The AfD has sought to distance itself from the deportation proposal aired at a meeting with right-wing radicals, saying it is not party policy.
The party's success has stoked concern among Germany's mainstream parties, who fear it could sweep three state elections in eastern Germany in September, even though recent polls have shown a slight decline in AfD support.
Earlier this week, a Forsa poll showed that backing for the AfD dropped below 20 per cent for the first time since July, with voters citing nationwide demonstrations against the far-right as the most important issue.
