German right-wing influencer Naomi Seibt has announced that she is seeking asylum in the United States, citing political persecution in her home country. Her case is being supported by Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who stated that Seibt ‘could face imprisonment or physical danger if she returns to Germany.’
‘I am the first German applying for asylum under President Trump due to political persecution,’ Seibt wrote in a post on X on 29 October. She claimed she had become the ‘target of intelligence surveillance, state media defamation, and Antifa threats’ because of her outspoken support for the right-wing, anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which currently leads the polls ahead of the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Seibt accused the German government of enabling left-wing violence, covering up migrant crime, and silencing dissent through mass police raids. She added that ‘tax-funded propaganda media monopolize the narrative and constantly defame the Trump administration—even Charlie Kirk.’ Seibt also thanked Elon Musk for giving her a platform and for his public support of the AfD.
Back in February, tensions flared between the Trump administration and several Western European countries—particularly Germany—after US Vice President JD Vance’s Munich speech, in which he accused Washington’s European allies of abandoning shared transatlantic values, curbing free speech, and failing to take a firm stance against mass migration. Germany was preparing for snap elections at the time, with AfD polling neck and neck with the CDU. Both Vance and Musk expressed support for the AfD and criticized the German establishment for maintaining a cordon sanitaire around the party. In May, German domestic intelligence officially classified the AfD as a ‘confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor’, granting authorities extensive surveillance powers, including the recruitment of informants and the interception of communications.
At the same time, German authorities launched a wider crackdown on citizens for social media posts, memes, and comments deemed to constitute hate speech—often relating to migration or migrant crime. In February, police targeted more than 50 individuals suspected of spreading hateful content online. Under Germany’s legal framework, authorities may prosecute not only those who create or share such content but also those who simply like or repost it. Offenders risk heavy fines, confiscation of electronic devices, and even prison sentences.
In one widely publicized case, the editor-in-chief of Deutschland Kurier—a publication represented by Seibt—was sentenced to seven months’ probation for posting a meme of former German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, which ironically depicted her saying: ‘I hate freedom of expression.’
Seibt’s case has quickly gained traction in the United States. On Thursday, 30 October, Rep Anna Paulina Luna met Seibt to discuss the asylum process. ‘I will be personally assisting with her case and writing to the Secretary of State regarding what she is facing, as well as the German government’s persecution of its own citizens for defending Western values and their culture,’ Luna wrote on X. She said Seibt ‘was targeted by German intelligence and government officials for advocating on behalf of the German people and supporting the AfD.’ Concluding her post, Luna warned German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that ‘the entire international community—especially the United States—is watching what is happening in Germany,’ adding that the German government has ‘a great deal of explaining to do.’
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