‘Green Garbage’ ads trashed by German election rivals

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s governing parties made an unusual show of solidarity with their main challengers Thursday by denouncing an advertising campaign targeting the environmentalist Greens. The ads that appeared in dozens of cities less than two months before the country’s national election feature a wilted version of the Green party’s sunflower symbol, phrases such as “climate socialism” and “eco terrorism,” and a hashtag that means “Green Garbage” in English. They were paid for by an organization whose leader supported the far-right Alternative for Germany in the past. The party denied involvement in the anti-Greens campaign. The Social Democrats’ general secretary tweeted, “Green garbage is right-wing trash. Democrats stick together.” The Union bloc also criticized the ads as “disgusting.”