"The debate was sparked back in October when a business association named Die Familienunternehmer (The Family Entrepreneurs) invited representatives of the AfD to its parliamentary evening in Berlin for the first time. In the words of its president, Marie-Christine Ostermann, the association thus lifted a national "contact ban" on the party that has been classified as "far-right and partially right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency."
"Marie-Christine Ostermann first lifted the AfD contact ban and has now been forced to reverse the decisionImage: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance U-turn after pressure from members Die Familienunternehmer represents 180,000 family businesses in Germany, which together employ around 8 million people. On Sunday, the business group caved in to mounting pressure from its members and politics at large, with Marie-Christine Ostermann admitting on the association's website that lifting the contact ban "turned out to be a mistake.""
A business association, Die Familienunternehmer, invited AfD representatives to its Berlin parliamentary evening, lifting a national contact ban that had been in place. The AfD is classified by Germany's domestic intelligence agency as far-right and partially right-wing extremist. The association said it opposed any government including the AfD but argued that engaging in discussion does not imply endorsement. Following strong backlash from members and the political sphere, the association reversed the decision and acknowledged that lifting the ban "turned out to be a mistake." The president stated the invitation unintentionally created an impression of legitimizing the AfD and reiterated distancing from extremists.
Read at www.dw.com
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