AfD's Maximilian Krah Steps Down After Controversial SS Comments

Maximilian Krah, the top candidate of Germany's far-right AfD in the European elections, announced his resignation from the party's leadership board and cessation of campaign activities due to backlash over his recent comments about the SS, stating they are being used to harm the party.

German far-right AfD's top candidate in European elections Maximilian Krah will refrain from further campaign activities and will resign from the party's leadership board with immediate effect, the politician said in a statement on Wednesday. This comes after he told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica last weekend that the SS, the Nazi's main paramilitary force, were "not all criminals".

Krah said in a statement that his comments "are being misused as a pretext to damage our party".