Germany's ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) have sent a booklet to all lawmakers from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) that contains sharp criticism of the anti-immigrant party, as well as a sample letter for members to quit the AfD.
The AfD parliamentary group confirmed on Thursday that its members had received the booklet and the letter.
The CDU brochure, in which the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz details the perceived dangers emanating from the AfD across some 30 pages, caused a stir last week.
AfD parliamentary director Bernd Baumann published a video on social media on May 21 that shows him picking up a copy at the CDU's party headquarters in Berlin.
Holding up the booklet outside the CDU headquarters, Baumann said the text was "full of lies and fake news," adding that he couldn't believe the CDU was distributing it.
A CDU spokeswoman confirmed that the party had since sent copies to all AfD lawmakers.
Germany's main conservative party, which leads the current governing coalition, has been repeatedly surpassed by the far-right party in recent nationwide polls.
An INSA survey earlier this month put the AfD first at a record 29%, the highest figure ever recorded for the party at national level, while the conservatives dropped to 22%, their weakest showing in an INSA poll in over four years.
In a country that continues to be deeply scarred by the memory of Nazi rule and the Holocaust, the rise of the AfD has been viewed with major concern by Germany's mainstream parties, who have all vowed not to cooperate with the far-right party, a strategy known as maintaining a firewall.
However, efforts to keep the AfD from power could take a major hit during a key state election in Saxony-Anhalt in September, where the party could gain an unprecedented absolute majority after topping 40% in recent polls.
In the 35-page pamphlet, the CDU accuses the AfD of posing a threat to democracy and working towards abolishing it.
The CDU describes the AfD as ethno-nationalist and anti-Semitic, citing quotes from prominent party figures.
The text also notes that several AfD regional chapters have been classified as confirmed far-right extremist by domestic intelligence agencies.
At the national level, the AfD was classified as a confirmed extremist organization by domestic intelligence last year - a label the party is challenging in court.
“We understand that reading this booklet may be unpleasant,” states the CDU’s cover letter to AfD lawmakers.
However, political responsibility begins with acknowledging the facts, it adds. “Anyone who sits in the German Bundestag cannot credibly claim not to know what forces, statements, and networks shape their own party.”
The booklet, titled "Decline for Germany. No Alternative," also includes a sample letter intended for AfD members to declare their exit from the party after reading the brochure.
Baumann slammed the move, saying it shouldn't come as a surprise that the CDU was trailing the AfD in nationwide polls.
"Germany’s economy is in free fall, our social welfare systems are on the verge of collapse, and all that comes out of CDU headquarters are pamphlets full of lies and prank notes to the AfD," he said.
The booklet is available for download on the CDU website.
The spokeswoman said more than 25,000 free print copies have already been ordered via the party's online shop, with the party having to order reprints several times due to the sustained demand.
