German far-right lawmakers walk out of Holocaust tribute

More than a dozen lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany walk out of the Bavarian state parliament during a tribute to Holocaust victims after a prominent Jewish leader accused their party of playing down the crimes of the Nazis.

The state lawmakers stood up and walked out after Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and former head of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, called them out by name, saying “this so-called Alternative for Germany bases its politics on hate and marginalization.”

Knobloch called them a party that “has downplayed the crimes of the Nazis and has close connections to the extreme right.”

Lawmakers from other parties rose and gave her a standing ovation.

The AfD, which first entered the Bavarian parliament last year, had no immediate comment.