EU Parliamentarian Nicolaus Fest has been officially expelled from the AfD party after failing to pay membership fees since 2022. Fest had filed a review request against the decision of the Berlin State Arbitration Court, but this was rejected as inadmissible. The party leadership cited unpaid fees as the reason for the expulsion, stating that this caused a “material financial loss” to the party. Fest had also made strong accusations against AfD leaders in a YouTube video, calling the party an “unpatriotic, semi-socialist clan conglomerate” acting as the “fifth column of Moscow”. He claimed that the party leadership had betrayed its original values and program under leaders like Alice Weidel.
The Berlin State Arbitration Court had already expelled Fest from the party on March 1st. The federal board, led by Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, initiated the arbitration process against Fest, who was the former head of the AfD delegation in the European Parliament and former chair of the emergency board of the Berlin AfD. The decision of the federal arbitration court, led by MP Gereon Bollmann, stated that Fest’s membership rights were not violated as he had indicated that he no longer felt part of the party. Fest expressed surprise at the decision, stating that he had expected harsher treatment. However, he announced that he would not take legal action against the verdict, as his goal was to determine if the party still adhered to principles of the rule of law.
The dispute between Fest and the AfD had been ongoing for years, with Fest stopping his payment of membership fees since July 2022. He claimed in a leaked email to the party headquarters that he could not support a party where he suspected the spokeswoman, Weidel, of being involved in a possible criminal intrigue against him. The federal board also accused Fest of making false and defamatory statements about Weidel, leading to the decision to exclude him from the party. Fest’s accusations against party members were dismissed by the leadership as baseless allegations aimed at diverting attention. The AfD federal board viewed the expulsion as an attempt to cover up an alleged conspiracy against Fest by the party leadership.
Fest had also criticized the AfD leadership in the YouTube video, accusing them of betraying the party’s original values and program. He had expressed disappointment in the direction the party had taken under leaders like Weidel, Chrupalla, and Björn Höcke. The federal arbitration court found Fest’s derogatory statements about the party as a clear indication that his review request was meaningless. Fest had previously stated that he was only remaining in the party to await the outcome of the exclusion process. Despite the expulsion, Fest stated that he would not challenge the decision further, as he believed he had received his answer regarding the adherence to the rule of law within the AfD.
The expulsion of Nicolaus Fest from the AfD marks the end of a longstanding conflict between the party and the EU parliamentarian. Fest’s refusal to pay membership fees and his accusations against the party leadership led to his expulsion from the AfD. The federal arbitration court’s decision to uphold Fest’s expulsion confirms the party’s stance on maintaining internal discipline and adhering to party regulations. Fest’s criticism of the party leadership and his decision not to challenge the expulsion further indicate a definitive end to his association with the AfD. The dispute between Fest and the party leadership reflects ongoing tensions within the AfD and highlights the challenges of maintaining unity within a politically diverse organization.
