Jens Maier was an MP for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for four years. Getty
Jens Maier was an MP for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for four years. Getty
Jens Maier was an MP for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for four years. Getty
Jens Maier was an MP for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party for four years. Getty

Far-right judge set to be forced out in Germany


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

A judge with far-right views who was declared an extremist by intelligence services is set to be forced into retirement in Germany.

Jens Maier had left the judiciary to become an MP for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in 2017.

He hoped to return to the bench after losing his seat at last year’s general election, when the AfD dropped from third place to fifth.

But Katja Meier, the justice minister of the state of Saxony, said she had filed a counter-application to have Mr Maier pushed into retirement.

“Every citizen has to be able to trust that the basic principles of the rule of law are guaranteed in our judicial system,” she said. “Anyone who is classified as a right-wing extremist by state authorities cannot be a credible representative of the judiciary.”

Before entering parliament, Mr Maier was reprimanded for his political activism at a time when he was dealing with legal cases involving the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party.

In a speech in 2017, he condemned Germany’s culture of remembrance for its Nazi crimes as “propaganda and re-education”, picking up one of the party's most contentious themes.

The AfD has attracted scrutiny from intelligence services in Germany. AFP
The AfD has attracted scrutiny from intelligence services in Germany. AFP

On that occasion, he was warming up a crowd in Dresden for a speech by Bjoern Hoecke, the leader of the AfD’s hard-line wing, and later described himself as a “little Hoecke”.

Later that year, Mr Maier was accused of expressing sympathy for the motives of far-right Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in an extremist massacre in 2011, although he claimed he was misquoted.

His designation as an extremist was part of widespread surveillance of the AfD by security services tasked with protecting Germany’s constitution.

At last year’s election, Mr Maier fell 4,100 votes short of winning a Dresden constituency. The AfD won so many districts in Saxony that it was not eligible for any top-up seats, the route he had used to enter parliament in 2017.

State authorities said they would seek approval for Mr Maier’s retirement by March 14, the date he was due to return to the bench, so that he does not act as a judge for an interim period.

Mr Maier had been a judge for almost 20 years before becoming an MP, having previously been a prosecutor and university lecturer.

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The%20specs
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Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs

Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo

Gearbox: 7-speed automatic

Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 350Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km

Price: Dh235,000

'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
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Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
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Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

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%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

'Saand Ki Aankh'

Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: CVT

Power: 170bhp

Torque: 220Nm

Price: Dh98,900

MATCH INFO

Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:

Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4

Second leg:

Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm

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The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

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%3Cp%3EThe%20Zayed%20Centre%20for%20Research%20is%20a%20partnership%20between%20Great%20Ormond%20Street%20Hospital%2C%20University%20College%20London%20and%20Great%20Ormond%20Street%20Hospital%20Children%E2%80%99s%20Charity%20and%20was%20made%20possible%20thanks%20to%20a%20generous%20%C2%A360%20million%20gift%20in%202014%20from%20Sheikha%20Fatima%20bint%20Mubarak%2C%20Chairwoman%20of%20the%20General%20Women's%20Union%2C%20President%20of%20the%20Supreme%20Council%20for%20Motherhood%20and%20Childhood%2C%20and%20Supreme%20Chairwoman%20of%20the%20Family%20Development%20Foundation.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Updated: February 14, 2022, 9:25 AM`