Felix Banaszak, co-chairman of Germany’s Green Party, has sparked outrage by suggesting that soldiers could “desert” if the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) were to appoint a defence minister.
The remarks were made yesterday during a podcast interview broadcast on the popular “jung & naiv” YouTube programme hosted by journalist Tilo Jung. They came as Banaszak discussed conscription and the Bundeswehr, or military, amid Germany’s ongoing debate over strengthening its armed forces.
Asked what young Green voters who join the military should do in the hypothetical event of an AfD defence minister, Banaszak initially replied: “Then they can always desert.”
He later qualified the statement, admitting it was a spontaneous answer to a question he had “never been asked before”.
The Green leader added that he would not show the same level of loyalty to an AfD-led government as to the current democratic one. “If it were so, then it is better not to serve them,” he said.
Banaszak insisted the scenario remained distant, arguing that a Russian attack on NATO and, by extension Germany, was currently “more likely” than the AfD taking control of the defence ministry or entering federal government.
He stressed his political work was aimed at preventing any AfD role in power.
Was tun bei einem AfD-Verteidigungsminister?
Grünen-Chef Felix Banaszak über ein dunkles Szenario für junge deutsche Soldaten: "Dann können sie immer noch desertieren" pic.twitter.com/htscJZG7nz— Tilo Jung (@TiloJung) May 12, 2026
Desertion (Fahnenflucht) is a serious criminal offence under German military law, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Banaszak’s comments have drawn sharp criticism, with opponents accusing him of undermining the Bundeswehr and questioning democratic outcomes.
The episode comes as Germany debates reintroducing elements of conscription under the current coalition led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Banaszak acknowledged the need for “more soldiers in the Bundeswehr” given the geopolitical situation, while noting he would “probably” refuse conscription today because he had benefited greatly from his civil service in elderly care.
The Green Party has positioned itself firmly against any co-operation with the AfD.
Banaszak has repeatedly called for a strict “firewall” against the AfD and has advocated for a ban procedure against the party.
In a separate illustration of anti-AfD sentiments, Baden-Württemberg’s state parliament yesterday elected Green politician Muhterem Aras as Vice-President while refusing to pre-print the name of the AfD candidate, Joachim Kuhs, on the ballot paper. Deputies had to write his name by hand.
