Germany's AfD party has gone too far, even for Europe's far-right coalition

A right-wing German lawmaker’s comments have caused a major coalition in the European Parliament to break. The lawmaker, a leading candidate for the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party, stated that he did not consider all members of the SS, a Nazi paramilitary group, to be criminals. He argued that some were just farmers. The AfD suspended the lawmaker and distanced themselves from his remarks. In response, a coalition of far-right parties in the European Parliament expelled the AfD from the group. The incident sheds light on how far-right parties in Europe view themselves and their associations.