Germany's Scholz slams 'fanatics' after far-right deportation row

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, January 10, 2024. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen/ File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged democrats to stand against far-right "fanatics" after reports emerged of Alternative for Germany party members attending a meeting where expelling citizens with foreign ethnic backgrounds was discussed.

The AfD did not deny that two of its senior politicians attended the November meeting in a villa near Berlin, where far-right influencer Martin Sellner outlined plans for the "remigration" of "unassimilated" people with German citizenship out of the country, but said the plans were not party policy.