A new far-right ‘peace movement’? Querfront and Germany’s far-right movement-party strategies during Russia’s war against Ukraine

This article analyzes far-right movement-party strategies in the context of the Russian war against Ukraine, intensifying on February 24, 2022, when AfD and various far-right social movement groups and activists used another salient issue to continue their street politics. It makes two contributions: First, it describes how parts of AfD and other key far-right actors in Germany portrayed themselves as new ‘peace movement’, engaging in street politics, focusing on a rejection of Germany’s involvement in the Ukrainian war effort as well as energy prices. In doing so, it looks at organizational variety at different ideological stances, such as on refugees, sanctions, arms supply, and energy, but also at heterogeneity within the far-right camp. Theoretically, the article shows that also on the streets, far-right players are not single-issue actors but do adapt to new issues, including those related to foreign policy. Second, and more analytically, the article assesses a key strategic consideration behind these efforts, i.e., the far-right attempt to mainstream and especially to coopt left-wing and centrist peace mobilization as part of a ‘Querfront’ (‘cross-front’) strategy, embedded in a more broader targeting of parts of the political left. While having some precursors in the mobilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, this cooptation strategy has become most explicit in the context of war, constituting an important development in contemporary far-right politics. In analyzing this development, the article contributes to debates on the mainstreaming efforts of the far right, their own intellectual reflection of strategy, and the impact of their efforts.