Erica Steinbach

Remember Erika Steinbach? For more than 40 years a Christian Democratic Union  (CDU) member and friend of Angela Merkel, she was also a recipient of the Bavarian Order of Merit for her tireless efforts on behalf of the cause of the German expellees. She has returned her award to Bavaria.

She did this in response to the General Secretary of "sister party" Christian Social Union (CSU) publicly describing the AfD as "brown dirt." (One may deduce a reference to 'Nazism' in it.)

Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD parliamentary faction, said:

I pay tribute to Mrs Steinbach for this step and thank her for her solidarity.