Former German intelligence head slams left-wing rival as 'communist'

DPA
·2 min read
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Former President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) Hans-Georg Maassen waits to testify as a witness before the investigative committee of the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament. Federico Gambarini/dpa
Former President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) Hans-Georg Maassen waits to testify as a witness before the investigative committee of the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament. Federico Gambarini/dpa

A former head of the German domestic intelligence service, who is carving out a career in right-wing politics, on Sunday dismissed a new party on the left as "communist" in response to a suggestion that they shared common ground.

Hans-Georg Maaßen, who was eased out of his position with the intelligence agency in 2018 after comments about violence directed at migrants, announced this week that he was leaving Germany's main centre-right party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), to set up a new party, the Werteunion (Values Union).

He was dismissive of Sarah Wagenknecht, a former leader of Die Linke (The Left), who split from her party to form the Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

"Common ground consists in the fact that Ms Wagenknecht addresses the problems that I see as well, but on the other hand her solutions come from the socialist toolbox," Maaßen told dpa. He stressed that he was open to cooperation with Wagenknecht but doubted whether this would be reciprocated.

Maaßen said he respected Wagenknecht as a gifted politician. "What I don't like is that she is simply a communist," he said, referring to her former membership of a communist grouping within Die Linke.

He noted that concern on migration was a theme common to both his group and the BSW, but that finding common solutions would be difficult. "A socialist worldview and a liberal worldview do not fit together well," Maaßen said.

The Werteunion would be a "liberal party and we say we want less state," he said.

The Werteunion plans to contest elections in three states in autumn in the east of the country in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is riding high in the polls in an increasingly fragmented German political landscape.