On Tuesday evening, Sandra Maischberger welcomed Sahra Wagenknecht, who left the Left in October to found the “Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht”. There was definitely a lot to discuss on the talk show.
Sahra Wagenknecht made headlines when she left the Left Party. At the end of October, the 54-year-old also announced the founding of the association “BSW – For Reason and Justice”, which is intended to be the basis for a new political party. On Tuesday evening, Wagenknecht was a guest at “maischberger” and answered questions.
Before Wagenknecht – who appeared quite late in the talk show – spoke about her party, Maischberger asked the politician about her stance in the Israel-Hamas war: “We have the responsibility to defend Israel’s right to exist, without ifs and buts, to support. Also to oppose everything that is anti-Semitic. “But that doesn’t mean that we have to approve of everything the Israeli government does.”
Many Israelis criticize the government because the tragic events in Gaza are exaggerating the conflict. There is no question that Hamas is “a barbaric, Islamist terrorist organization,” “but we have to talk about it.”
Wagenknecht also agreed with the UN Secretary General’s statement that the conflict “did not arise in a vacuum.”
Wagenknecht: “We have to deal politically with the AfD”
Maischberger then tried to find out guidelines for Wagenknecht’s party because there is no election program yet. When asked if there should be a speed limit, she replied that it depends on the speed.
“I think 130 can be represented,” she answered at the end. The politician also answered with a clear “yes” for cannabis legalization – two points of agreement with the Greens.
She rejects a ban on the AfD. According to Wagenknecht, one cannot fight the right-wing movement in this way. “We have to deal politically with the AfD,” she explained.
However, she would like to learn from the party, as its founders Bernd Lucke and Hans-Olaf Henkel – due to the changes in the AfD – “probably cannot look at themselves in the mirror today”.
Wagenknecht open to asylum procedures in Africa
That’s why Wagenknecht wants to carefully check the members of her party in order to weed out “weirdos and extremists”. Your new party will therefore only accept members slowly: “I have to ask for your understanding.”
She added: “We are aiming to stand in the state elections.” During a “transition period”, the party will carry her name so that it is easy to find on the ballot papers.
One point with which Wagenknecht wants to win over the votes is the issue of migration. The politician repeated her call to stop illegal migration. One possibility for this could be agreements with safe third countries. However, it must be noted that more than a third of asylum applications come from Syrians.
“Of course it is of no use if you carry out safe procedures in Rwanda. That’s a bit off topic.” When asked whether such procedures should still be possible in Africa, Wagenknecht replied: “Yes, of course also in Africa. Anyone who is truly entitled to asylum should have a safe and legal route to Europe. If you don’t have a claim to asylum, you shouldn’t have one.”
