Thuringian State Parliament Invites Hape Kerkeling to Hearing on Possible AfD Ban

The hearing goes back to an initiative by The Left. Left parliamentary member Katharina König-Preuss declared in May, when the Justice Committee set the hearing in motion: "Die Anhörung soll klären, ob die verfassungsfeindlichen Positionen nicht nur einzelne Äußerungen sind, sondern die Partei insgesamt prägen". Initially, a written hearing is running until the end of August.

A ban application at the Federal Constitutional Court can be filed exclusively by the Bundestag, the Bundesrat, or the Federal Government; this also applies to a possible partial ban of individual state associations. In the political debate, a ban procedure against individual AfD state associations, such as the Thuringian association under Björn Höcke, has also been discussed for some time. The hurdles for such a procedure are considered high.

Kerkeling's Personal Connection to Buchenwald

Hape Kerkeling, born in Recklinghausen, became known primarily through his comedy character Horst Schlämmer as well as through his bestseller "Ich bin dann mal weg". He has been successful as a comedian and author for decades. In April 2026, he gave a speech on the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp and spoke about the fate of his grandfather Hermann.

The grandfather, a Catholic communist from the Ruhr region, had been in custody since March 1933 due to regime-critical writings, of which nearly three years were spent in Buchenwald concentration camp, where he experienced forced labor and torture. He survived the camp. In his speech, Kerkeling said that "was seinem Großvater als Hochverrat ausgelegt worden sei, sei für ihn das „höchste Zeugnis von Treue zur Menschlichkeit"". He called for opposing antidemocratic currents and described "Diffamierungen der Erinnerungskultur" as "ein Schlag ins Gesicht der Opfer und ihrer Nachfahren".

Petition for Federal Presidency Running in Parallel

Kerkeling also stated that he was "zutiefst alarmiert" by current political developments. He has not yet commented on the motives for his invitation to the Thuringian state parliament. Independently of the hearing, an online petition titled "Hape Kerkeling als Bundespräsident" is currently running, addressed to the parliamentary group leaders of the Union, SPD, Greens, and The Left in the Bundestag.

The petition calls for nominating Hans-Peter Kerkeling as a joint, non-partisan candidate for the office of Federal President for the election on January 30, 2027. By Wednesday morning (15.07.2026), it had around 137,000 supporters. Whether the petition and the state parliament hearing are connected cannot be inferred from the available information.

The political debate about an AfD ban procedure is not new. Supporters see it as a necessary means to defend the liberal-democratic basic order, while critics warn of a stigmatization of voters and a weakening of democratic institutions. The hearing in Erfurt is now intended to provide additional insights, without having any legally binding effect.

For September 30, broad public attention is expected, as, in addition to Kerkeling, other well-known personalities and experts have also been invited. The final assessment of the Justice Committee could feed into the debate on whether a ban application should be filed at the federal level.