AfD kicks off Berlin election campaign with attacks on mayor over 'Tennisgate'
Berlin's AfD lead candidate Kristin Brinker launched her party's campaign for the September state election with sharp personal attacks on Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, invoking the January power outage and his tennis game that became known as 'Tennisgate'.
Sharp attacks on the incumbent
AfD lead candidate Kristin Brinker opened the rally with a direct assault on CDU mayor Kai Wegner, accusing him of incompetence and dishonesty. She told supporters, "The political mistakes of the past years are no longer forgivable. And Kai Wegner, still sitting in the town hall behind us, is the prime example of this decay (politically and humanely)." Brinker specifically cited the January blackout in Berlin's southwest, when Wegner played an hour of tennis instead of visiting affected citizens and initially concealed the fact. "The whole country is laughing about Tennisgate," she said.
The whole country is laughing about Tennisgate.
Federal AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla joined the criticism, calling Wegner a bungler and demanding his retirement. "We will make this Rotes Rathaus blue for the first time," Chrupalla told the crowd, echoing the party's ambition to capture the mayor's office.
We will make this Rotes Rathaus blue for the first time.
Saxony-Anhalt lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund struck a confident note about the party's trajectory, saying success in Berlin would signal the AfD could win anywhere.
Rally turnout and security
Berlin police counted about 600 AfD supporters at the rally, well below the 1,000 participants the party had registered. Many waved German flags. The event was largely peaceful, but about 200 counter-demonstrators gathered nearby, including groups from Antifa to 'Omas gegen Rechts'. Police deployed roughly 540 officers and used barriers to separate the opposing sides. Counter-protests included a Green Party mobilization under the slogan "Berlin, bunt, stark" and a pro-Palestinian group demanding an immediate AfD ban. Chants of "Nazis raus!" could be heard from the opposing side.
- AfD supporters
- 600 people
- Counter-protesters
- 200 people
- Police officers
- 540 people
Policy positions and heated rhetoric
Brinker criticized the CDU record on economic policy and the number of naturalizations, which she called far too high. On internal security, she pointed to knife and gun attacks in Berlin and demanded an end to long court backlogs and what she termed "cuddly justice." She also said non-German criminals must leave the country as quickly as possible.
The most radical language came from Dennis Hohloch, parliamentary manager of the Brandenburg AfD faction. "We must deport millions," he shouted from the stage, though official data puts the number of people legally required to leave Germany at roughly 230,000.
We must deport millions.
Electoral stakes
Berlin holds its next Abgeordnetenhaus election on 20 September 2026. At the 2023 vote, the AfD took 9.1%. Recent polls put the party at 17 or 18%, placing it second behind the CDU (19-22%) and ahead of the Greens, Left Party and SPD. Chrupalla said the 20% mark was within reach, while Brinker told supporters, "Here in Berlin we want to become the strongest force (and we will do it)." The rally's mix of personal attacks, anti-immigration appeals and promises to reverse the CDU-led city government set the tone for a campaign that will test the capital's political landscape.
