Fury in Warsaw After AfD Victory, Tusk Pulls No Punches: “Only Idiots or Traitors Can Celebrate the Triumph”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacted furiously to the AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt, saying that only “idiots or traitors” in Poland could celebrate the result. He added that there were quite a few such people in the Confederation and Law and Justice parties.

The result also drew a stark warning from Robert Biedroń, a left-wing member of the European Parliament, who called the AfD’s state-election victory “a very dangerous situation.” Speaking on TVN24’s “Fakty po Faktach,” Biedroń said a “brown wave” was moving not only through Germany, but also France and other European countries, including Poland.

“

Only idiots or traitors can celebrate the triumph of the AfD in Germany.

He said support for right-wing parties in some Polish polls exceeded 50 percent, describing that figure as “truly frightening.” Biedroń urged the left and moderate forces to unite. “That brown wave can easily start a fire. The problem is that it is difficult to put that fire out afterward. The most dangerous thing is when national egos confront one another,” he said.

“

A very dangerous situation.

The article describes the AfD as nationalist and populist. Its program calls for a sharp reduction in immigration, weaker European Union powers and a “normalization” of relations with Russia, including lifting sanctions and restarting Nord Stream.

Polish Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said the result represented a defeat for values among Polish patriots, but a victory for an ally to Sławomir Mentzen and part of the Confederation. Łukasz Jasiński of the Polish Institute of International Affairs said an AfD-led state government would not immediately change Germany’s foreign policy, but could signal a pro-Russian and partly anti-Polish direction for the party. Elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are due in two weeks.

“

That brown wave can easily start a fire. The problem is that it is difficult to put that fire out afterward. The most dangerous thing is when national egos confront one another.