Alternative for Germany (AfD) is a nationalist, right-wing, and populist German political party. It is Euroskeptic, and objects to immigration to Germany, especially Muslims. The German government classified it as a “suspected extremist” party, although AfD does not reject democracy.
Thuringia is the sixth smallest out of the sixteen states that comprise Germany. It is located in central Germany, with a population of about 2.1 million. The name Thuringia derives from the Germanic tribe of Thuringii, which arrived during the Barbarian invasion more than 2,000 years ago.
Thuringia was one of the first states where the Nazi Party gained political power, winning six deputies to the Thuringian parliament in the December 1929 election. Wilhelm Frick, who was later tried as a war criminal, became Minister of the Interior in the state coalition government, a post that allowed him to eliminate from the state’s police force anyone who was not pro-Nazi.
This little bit of history is why many Germans and, needless to say, Europeans who remember the stuff Germany did only 85 years ago (Has It Been 85 Years Already? Poland Marks the Most Punctual Start of a World War), are, well, panicking.
37,4 Prozent der unter 18-jährigen Jugendlichen in #Thüringen würden bei der #Landtagswahl die #AfD wählen. Das ist das Ergebnis des Projekts #U18Wahl 2024, das immer vor einem offiziellen Wahltermin abgehalten wird. #Landtagswahl2024 #ltwth https://t.co/G8s8UTmLve
— MDR THÜRINGEN (@mdr_th) August 27, 2024
The AfD has only existed for eleven years and its leadership has since gone through turbulent changes. Its co-leaders are Alexander Gauland, Alice Weidel, and Björn Höcke. Weidel, 41, is an economist who lives in Berlin and Switzerland, where she lives with her three children, one of them a young woman she adopted from Sri Lanka; Gauland, 78, is a lawyer, and has been with AfD from its inception, following years as member of Germany’s center-right; Höcke, 52, is AfD’s party leader in Thuringia, and has been involved in the party’s biggest controversies. For instance, he attacked the idea of a Holocaust memorial in the heart of Berlin. The party moved to expel him but then didn’t.
Deutsche Welle political correspondent Hans Brandt said the strong projections for the AfD in Thuringia could mean that the “far right” could take over a German state for the first time since 1945, but a strong showing could also trigger a move similar to the anti-Le Pen second-round move in France, “forcing others to form a coalition against AfD,” with serious repercussions for all of Germany.
AfD AND JEWS
According to a study conducted by the Forsa Institute in 2019, while 2% of the German population agreed with the statement that “the Holocaust is propaganda of the Allied Powers,” that statement was supported by 15% of AfD voters.
AfD supports a ban on circumcision for non-medical reasons for minors, calling it a “serious violation of fundamental rights.”
AfD supports a ban on kosher slaughter, as well as on the “import and sale of kosher meat.”
In 2023, Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against antisemitism stated that leading forces within the AfD relativize the Holocaust and that the party condones antisemitism.
AfD wants to end mass immigration and limit immigration to small numbers of skilled immigrants who would integrate into society and speak German. It encourages German nationals to have more children, as opposed to boosting the population with foreigners. It says immigrants must be employed and contributing to social security through taxes for at least four years before being allowed to receive state benefits. It also calls for mass deportation of foreign criminals with permanent residency.
AfD says the Geneva Convention on Refugees is outdated and demands stricter vetting of refugees. It also wants the German government to invest in special economic zones in third-world countries instead of bringing in large numbers of asylum seekers.
