The leader of the far-right AfD has defended her party after several anti-Semitic scandals among its members, saying that in fact they are one of the few forces that will guarantee Jewish life in Germany.

President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, said last week that the entire Alternative for Germany (AfD) was a “disgrace for Germany” after several incidents in which AfD members seemingly downplayed the Holocaust, sympathized with Nazis, or suggested that the country should feel less guilty about its Nazi past.

“This party cannot have a place in Germany, I hope that it disappears from the political stage soon,” Lauder said in the interview with Die Welt.

In response to Lauder’s statements, AfD leader Frauke Petry told Die Welt in an interview published on Thursday that a Jewish leader such as himself should recognize the AfD’s importance in the country.

“As a Jewish representative, he should above all realize that the AfD is one of the few political guarantors of Jewish life, also in times of illegal, anti-Semitic migration to Germany,” Petry said.

Petry also used US President Donald Trump as an example for why Lauder should respect her party.

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