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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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The German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose election campaign launch last month included an address from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have not been invited to Munich's annual conference of world leaders.
The organizer of the Munich Security Conference said the AfD and left-populist German party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), have been excluded because they do not follow the principle of peace through dialogue, news agency DPA reported.
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, a German group that monitors antisemitism and racism, told Newsweek that the decision was a "strong symbolic gesture."
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Newsweek has contacted the AfD, the BSW and Musk for comment.
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Why It Matters
Germany's political parties are usually invited to the conference. However, as the country goes to the polls amid concern at Musk's endorsement of the AfD, mainstream parties are refusing to work with the right-wing group, whose exclusion from the conference suggests a push to isolate it.
What To Know
World leaders, lawmakers, senior defense figures and other officials will attend the Munich Security Conference, which takes place from February 14 to 16 and has been held since 1963. But not invited are Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), according to conference chairman Christoph Heusgen.
He said that the parties, which are campaigning in Germany's federal elections on February 23, do not adhere to the conference's core principle of peace through dialogue.
Heusgen said that the two German parties have criticized aid to Kyiv and boycotted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's June speech to Germany's Parliament.
Last month, Musk appeared by video link at the AfD campaign launch in the eastern German city of Halle. During the virtual speech, he said it was "good to be proud of German culture (and) German values." The previous month, Musk had said on X, formerly Twitter, that "only the AfD can save Germany."
Last weekend, rallies were held in Berlin, Cologne and other cities in Germany in protest at the rise of the AfD party. Musk was condemned last month for a gesture that was denounced as a Nazi salute, although he rejected the criticism.
Lorenz Blumenthaler, from the Berlin-based Amadeu Antonio Foundation, told Newsweek that the AfD and the BSW were not credible partners regarding Russia's war against Ukraine.
The exclusion is more harmful for the AfD than for the BSW, since the Munich Security Conference stands for conservative values and a realist foreign policy.
What People Are Saying
Munich Security Conference chairman Christoph Heusgen said: "Both the AfD and the BSW left the German Bundestag when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke.
"This is the opposite of dialogue, and I don't want to experience anything like that at the conference. This is one of the reasons I have decided not to invite any politicians from the AfD and BSW this year."
Lorenz Blumenthaler, from the Berlin-based Amadeu Antonio Foundation, said: "From the standpoint of the Security Conference, this is a strong symbolic gesture. Parties that do not follow value-driven, rule-based global order cannot be part of the security conference."
What Happens Next
While both populist parties are sidelined, key players from Germany's political mainstream will attend conference in Munich, including the left-populist Die Linke, a party historically critical of NATO, Politico reported.
Also attending will be Chancellor Olaf Scholz, opposition leader Friedrich Merz, Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner and Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
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