Politics · Germany · 4 hrs ago
Green leaders admit party mistakes and call for a more open approach
Ricarda Lang said the Greens share responsibility for the AfD’s rise, while stressing that other parties do too.
The AfD is a far-right party that has gained support in Germany.
Lang said the Greens became less clear on policy during their time in the governing coalition and grew too closed off about who could take part.
She said people who drive cars or do not use the party’s preferred language may have felt unwelcome.
Lang also said the Greens let integration fall behind because they feared raising problems in the debate about migration.
She argued the party must acknowledge problems to discuss solutions.
Green leader Felix Banaszak said the party needs to make people feel heard, as many see an AfD vote as a way to have influence.
Both leaders called for a more open approach that starts with people’s everyday lives and seeks support beyond the party’s existing base.
Banaszak said that should not mean abandoning goals such as climate neutrality.
Ricarda Lang said the Greens had contributed to the rise of the far-right AfD, while adding that other parties also shared responsibility.
She said the Greens became less clear in their policies during Germany’s coalition government and more culturally rigid about whom they engaged with.
Lang called for the party to be more open and to reach beyond its own supporters.
She also said the Greens had neglected debate about integration because they feared raising problems.
Green Party leader Felix Banaszak said many people feel an AfD vote gives them more influence, and that some believe the Greens do not like them.
- Who
- Ricarda Lang, a Green politician, and Green Party leader Felix Banaszak.
- What
- Lang said the Greens had contributed to the AfD’s rise and acknowledged mistakes; both called for the party to connect with more people.
- When
- They spoke in the ntv Salon podcast, reported on October 29, 2026.
- Where
- The interview was on the ntv Salon podcast. The sources do not state where it was recorded.
- Why
- Lang said the Greens had become less clear and more culturally rigid, and had let integration fall behind in public debate.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Lang said the Greens became less clear in their policies and more culturally rigid about whom they engaged with.
Lang said the debate about integration had fallen behind as the Greens avoided discussing problems.
Lang and Banaszak discussed the Greens’ past mistakes and their approach to reaching more people on the ntv Salon podcast.
- Podcast
- ntv Salon
- Speakers
- Ricarda Lang and Felix Banaszak
- Lang’s assessment
- The Greens also contributed to the rise of the far-right
- Banaszak’s assessment
- An AfD vote gives people a strong sense of influence, he said
- Lang’s admission
- The integration debate had fallen behind in recent years
2 sources
What people are saying
Natürlich haben auch wir Grüne zum Aufstieg der Rechtsextremen beigetragen
Ich finde, wir haben schon einen Fehler gemacht. Und das ist, dass diese ganze Integrationsdebatte in den letzten Jahren komplett ins Hintertreffen geraten ist
Es gibt gerade nichts, was Menschen so viel Selbstwirksamkeit gibt wie eine Stimme für die AfD.
Grüne sind Menschen, Herrgott!