Migrant and ethnic communities in Germany are increasingly worried about the growing support for far-right parties, particularly the Alternative for Germany (AfD). This concern comes as recent polls show the AfD leading in the east German states of Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg, where elections will take place in September. The party is known for its strong anti-immigrant stance and has made migration a key issue in its campaign, especially in eastern Germany.
These developments have raised alarm among communities that are often the target of discrimination, such as Black Germans and African migrants, who are some of the most visible minorities in the country. The state of Thuringia, which will vote next week, has seen particularly high levels of support for the AfD, with current polling showing up to 30% of voters backing the party. Experts say that this rise in support is partly due to a growing radical far-right movement in the region, which has created a hostile environment for minorities, including Black people.
The Ezra Foundation, an NGO that works to combat discrimination, states that the AfD’s branch in Thuringia is especially radical. It has been under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service for the past four years as a “proven right-wing extremist” group. The AfD also holds significant influence in Saxony and Brandenburg, where elections are set for September 1 and 22, respectively. Together, these three states make up 10% of Germany’s population, and the outcomes of these elections are likely to have a substantial impact on national politics.
The debate over migration in Germany has intensified following a knife attack at a street festival in Solingen, which resulted in the deaths of three people. The attacker, a Syrian asylum seeker whose application had been rejected, should have been deported last year. Opposition parties have seized on this incident to criticize the government’s migration policies, arguing that they are too lenient. In response, the government has promised to tighten deportation rules. Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to meet with CDU opposition leader Friedrich Merz to discuss the matter further.
Germany’s Justice Minister, Marco Buschmann, has confirmed that rejected asylum seekers could be deported to Syria, citing court decisions that have determined some regions in Syria are safe for return. He also mentioned the need to find a solution for deportations to Afghanistan, reflecting the government’s stance on taking a tougher approach to immigration in the face of rising political pressure.