German AfD lawmaker Matthias Helferich retains party membership after tribunal overturns expulsion

AfD Bundestag member Matthias Helferich addressed the party's summer reception in Düsseldorf, delivering a speech that celebrated German heritage and warned against mass migration, drawing applause from the audience.

The AfD's federal arbitration panel later reversed a decision by the party's North‑Rhine Westland branch that had sought to expel Helferich over extremist remarks. While the panel reinstated his membership, it imposed a six‑month suspension from party offices. The ruling highlights ongoing tensions between the party's moderate leadership in NRW and its more radical, völkisch‑nationalist wing.

The episode underscores a broader shift within the AfD, where right‑wing factions are gaining influence following recent internal elections at the federal party conference.