Edeka advises against voting for AfD: "Blue is not a good choice"

A few days before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, retailers are also taking a stand. The supermarket chain Edeka published a full-page appeal in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", in the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit" and on social networks. The ad is titled "Why Edeka doesn't choose blue". This is to be understood as an allusion to the AfD, which has used blue as its party color since it was founded.

The ad features numerous types of fruit and vegetables such as cucumbers, broccoli, bananas, cherries and strawberries. "Colorful diversity reigns in the fruit and vegetable department," the text reads. "Evolution has taught us that blue is not a good choice," it says. "In Germany, blue is already the biggest threat to a diverse society."

The German Retail Association (HDE) also spoke out publicly this week. President Alexander von Preen called on people to vote for democratic parties. "I can only warn all players against shifting the social rules of the game towards exclusion and hatred. This will not lead society and the economy to a positive future, but to a dead end," he said.

Criticism of Höcke's comments about entrepreneurs

According to the HDE, around 120,000 jobs are currently unfilled in the retail sector. "Where are all these people supposed to come from if politicians who focus on exclusion and isolation take the helm?" said von Preen. He described the AfD as dangerous and irresponsible: "With Björn Höcke, one of the leading figures of the AfD has once again unmasked himself when he wished insolvency on family businesses that publicly support a campaign for diversity in society and the economy."

Von Preen is referring to a campaign "Made in Germany - Made by Diversity" initiated by more than 40 German entrepreneurs on the occasion of the election. Participants include the drugstore chain Rossmann, the chainsaw and garden tool manufacturer Stihl, the food company Pfeifer & Langen, the household appliance manufacturer Vorwerk and the audio specialist Sennheiser. Thuringia's leading AfD candidate Höcke described the campaign as hypocrisy at an election rally in Sömmerda at the weekend, according to a report by MDR. "I hope that these companies get into serious, serious economic turmoil," he said.

The President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Siegfried Russwurm, also criticized the AfD. He told Die Welt that he feared the AfD's aggressive xenophobia would exacerbate the existing problem of the shortage of skilled workers in Germany. The AfD's participation in government would cause enormous damage to the economy and prosperity in eastern Germany. The party is wrongly presenting itself as the voice of small and medium-sized local businesses.

Elections will be held in Saxony and Thuringia on Sunday. In current polls, the AfD is polling at around 30 percent in both states.