"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."
""We family entrepreneurs do not want a government that includes the AfD, the organization's website states. The AfD's worldview is incompatible with our fundamental beliefs in freedom and the market economy, which is why we family entrepreneurs do not shy away from debating the AfD's policies." "Engaging in discussion with someone who thinks differently is not the same as accepting their positions. Talking does not mean working together.""
Germany's business community is split over engagement with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after Die Familienunternehmer invited AfD representatives to a parliamentary evening and said it lifted a national "contact ban". The association represents 180,000 family businesses employing around 8 million people and says it does not want an AfD-inclusive government because the party's worldview is incompatible with beliefs in freedom and the market economy. Association president Marie-Christine Ostermann argues that debating AfD policies is necessary and that engaging in discussion is not equivalent to accepting positions. Some members publicly opposed the decision while the association reported member support.
Read at www.dw.com
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