When Mr Siegmund glides into the Grillfest to give a speech, his admirers form a queue to have their “Ulrich” T-shirts and heart placards signed.
“Welcome to Germany!” he exclaims in English to The Telegraph with a fierce handshake, once an interview has been negotiated via his father.
“People are fed up, they don’t want to be patronised any more and above all they no longer want to be lied to by politicians,” he says, switching to German when asked why his countrymen are abandoning traditional parties.
“Uncontrolled migration has not worked at all. We have a great many migrants on social benefits and welfare, which costs us a lot of money, and many do not adhere to our rules, laws and culture,” he says.
“We must distinguish between those who want to participate and those who want to exploit us.”
As for arms deliveries to Ukraine – they have to go. “We’ve spent billions when we already have problems in this country, people didn’t want it here and we haven’t saved a single life,” he says. “On the contrary, the war keeps on going and achieving nothing.”
This young state leader has an air of frenetic energy, and he has sharp wits – earlier he had had a verbal joust with a heckler who claimed Mr Siegmund wasn’t Right-wing enough.
Mr Siegmund is also enjoying his newfound notoriety in the German press, having been described as “Germany’s most dangerous man” by Spiegel on its front cover.
The stunt backfired: copies of the magazine signed by Mr Siegmund are collectors’ items at rallies.
#germany #afd #hardright #elections #sachsen-anhalt
#afd #victory
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
0:33 - Ulrich Siegmund Interview
3:20 - Heckler Interrupts
3:56 - Siegmund debates protesters
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