‘German left-leaning media uncritical of Merkel’s migration policy’ – AfD party official  

We have a leftist-influenced media, and this is well known. If you ask journalists what parties they are supporting, you have a coalition of red and green, Joachim Paul, Deputy President of the AfD in Rhineland-Palatia, told RT.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to defend her open-door migration policy by denying she made any mistakes over the course of the crisis, even though her decision to let in hundreds of thousands of refugees has altered German society in profound ways.

”I’d make all the important decisions of 2015 the same way again,” Merkel told the German Die Welt daily’s weekend edition.

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No regrets: Merkel defends open-door policy as election draws near

However, many Germans argue that the German Chancellor is getting kid-gloves treatment at the hands of a left-leaning media establishment that refuses to challenge her policies in any meaningful way.

RT sat down with Joachim Paul, Deputy President of the AfD (Alternative for Germany) in Rhineland-Palatia, for his views on the current situation.

RT:  How would you describe the situation right now in Germany as elections draw near?

Joachim Paul: We have a lot of tension in our society right now that we actually never experienced before, and this has to do with the migration crisis. We see a lot of sexual harassment committed by foreigners coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries. So there is a lot of tension... The other thing is that the establishment media corporations are not attacking Angela Merkel, as they should as critical media. That’s one reason why her party is doing quite well.   

RT:  With the elections less than a month away, will the overshadowing of the migration crisis actually work in favor of Angela Merkel?

JP: You must keep in mind how our party is attacked by the establishment media. There is no positive news coverage of our party at all. We have a leftist-influenced media, and this is well known. If you ask journalists what parties they are supporting, you have a coalition of red and green, and now Merkel’s CDU is also reaching left-wing voters and Social Democratic voters, there is a constellation we never had before in Germany.

RT:  Merkel stressed that people traffickers in the Mediterranean must be stopped - and that she plans to work with Turkey on this.

JP: There is a refugee route coming over the Mediterranean Sea and this route has to be closed. I just recently visited Italian cities where you can see Africans all over the place, waiting to get to France and to Germany. This is also something that is not covered by our media. It is clear that this way from North Africa and through the Mediterranean must be closed as soon as possible.