German parliament blocks seven staff after security review

"Germany's lower chamber of parliament, the Bundestag, on Friday confirmed that it has banned seven staff members from entering the building after reports they were associates of the far-right AfD. "To date, the issuing of a pass for members of parliament or employees of parliamentary groups has been refused in seven cases during this legislative term," a spokeswoman told AFP. "In two other cases, access to IT systems has been refused," she added, without revealing the identity of the staff concerned."

"The refusal came after background checks, the spokeswoman said, justifying the policy as a way of avoiding risks "to the security of the members of the Bundestag". According to an investigation published on Friday by Der Spiegel, those banned are all associates of the AfD, whose proximity to Russia and far-right movements has caught the attention of parliamentary administrators. Some are said to have been convicted of incitement to hatred or offences against firearms legislation, the weekly said."

"One is alleged to have thrown a smoke bomb at a refugee reception centre. In recent months, the AfD, which is now the main opposition party in the Bundestag, has been accused by other parties of harbouring a "pro-Russian sleeper cell" and passing sensitive information to Moscow. On Wednesday, a search was carried out at the home and offices of a regional AfD lawmaker on suspicion of breaking an export embargo to Belarus."

The Bundestag banned seven staff members from entering the parliamentary building this legislative term after background checks identified associations with the far-right AfD. In two further cases, access to parliamentary IT systems was denied. Administrators justified the measures as necessary to avoid risks to the security of Bundestag members. Investigations indicate the banned individuals have alleged ties to Russia and far-right movements, and some reportedly hold convictions for incitement to hatred or firearms offences; one is accused of throwing a smoke bomb at a refugee centre. Additional probes include a search linked to an alleged export embargo breach to Belarus, and prior reporting found over 100 AfD employees flagged as right-wing extremists by domestic intelligence.

Read at The Local Germany