All articles tagged with #afd
Thousands protested the AfD in Erfurt as the far-right party held its annual congress; demonstrators attempted road blockades but the event started on time, and police clashed with some protesters. AfD leaders touted growth while polls place the party around 20% nationally ahead of September state elections in eastern Germany; anti-AfD groups claimed up to 17,000 participants.
Tens of thousands of anti-AfD demonstrators clashed with police in Erfurt during the party’s conference, with authorities saying demonstrations were mostly peaceful despite heavy disruption. About 30,000 people attended, and the protests delayed AfD’s leadership vote as calls to oppose the party intensified. AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were re-elected amidst the tense atmosphere, while anti-fascist groups condemned the party’s policies.
Germany’s ruling CDU/CSU–SPD coalition unveiled a broad reform package called the Programme for Revival and Employment, including about €10 billion in annual income tax relief for low- and middle-income earners from 2027, a major pension overhaul linked to life expectancy after 2031 (potentially reaching 70 by the 2090s), tighter sick-leave rules, longer fixed-term contracts, and reduced bureaucracy. The plan is funded mainly by shifting more tax burden onto top earners and aims to boost growth while countering far-right pressure, but still requires Bundestag and Bundesrat approval. Analysts say it could improve sentiment and lift growth later in the year.
Germany’s 2026 World Cup defeat to Paraguay is framed as a symptom of broader governance problems: a faltering economy with auto-sector layoffs, weak growth, and stalled reforms, alongside low public approval for Chancellor Merz and rising support for the AfD. While some observers caution against fatalism, they note that only limited reforms—like a pension overhaul—offer a path forward.
Germany’s domestic intelligence service says the number of far-right extremists rose to about 58,700 last year, up more than 8,000 from the previous year, with AfD membership reaching around 70,000 in 2025. The report also notes rising left-wing extremism, Reichsbürger groups, and growing Islamist threats, while foreign intelligence activity targets Germany from Russia, China and Iran.
A Saudi anti-Islam activist and psychiatrist, Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, was sentenced to life in prison for driving a rented SUV into Magdeburg's Christmas market in December 2024, killing six and injuring more than 300. He admitted to driving the vehicle but denied deliberate targeting; prosecutors said the act was premeditated and fueled by far-right conspiracy beliefs and AfD sympathies. A psychiatric evaluation found him fully criminally responsible, and the court classified the crime as particularly severe, signaling a life-long incarceration with limited chances for early release.
A dispute between Elon Musk and German broadcaster ZDF escalated after ZDF described Musk as calling for “a migrant hunt” in posts about Belfast, which Musk denounces as a “terrible lie” and says he may sue over; ZDF removed the disputed line and added a transparency note, while the row drew support from the German far-right AfD and highlighted ongoing tensions over media representation, misinformation, and social media influence in political violence.
An AfD foreign policy spokesman, Markus Frohnmaier, met Gazprom chief Alexei Miller and Kirill Dmitriev in St. Petersburg during Putin’s economic forum, in a high‑level encounter between the German far‑right and Kremlin figures. They discussed reopening the Nord Stream pipelines and resuming Russian gas to Germany amid low storage levels and AfD polling gains in eastern Germany. Gazprom said the meeting was initiated by the German side; Frohnmaier stressed German interests and said the trip did not amount to endorsing the war, highlighting ongoing ties and energy‑policy sensitivities in Germany.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s nationwide tour to shore up his flagging popularity is backfiring, with voters perceiving him as out of touch and doubting his ability to deliver economic reforms. Polls show 86% of Germans unhappy with the coalition, Merz’s own numbers are weak (about 24% think he can turn the economy around, 14% say he communicates effectively), and the far-right AfD is gaining ground in eastern Germany ahead of elections, complicating the government’s path forward. His emphasis on gradual reforms and business-focused outreach has not yet translated into broad public support.
One year into his chancellorship, Friedrich Merz is praised for a tougher foreign posture but hamstrung by a fragile CDU-SPD coalition, waning popularity, and a rising AfD, forcing a reckoning over promises versus reality and leaving his leadership trajectory uncertain.
Germany’s far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt presented a 150-page manifesto proposing sweeping changes to migration, education, welfare and energy policy, including a hard shift toward deportations and a concept of “remigration” that would target Ukrainian refugees; it also urges lifting sanctions on Russia and offering free Russian language lessons. The plan signals a dramatic pivot for the party ahead of September state elections, though any changes would require federal approval, and polls show the AfD gaining ground in both eastern and parts of western Germany.
Projections put the CDU first in Rhineland-Palatinate (about 30.6%), with the SPD second (≈25.7%), and the AfD achieving its strongest western-state result at ~20%; Greens and FDP trail; four parties enter parliament, making a CDU-SPD grand coalition likely and Gordon Schnieder the likely next state premier.
A Cologne court temporarily bars Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) from labeling the AfD as a right-wing extremist, a win the party touts to support a broader rebranding and appeal ahead of Baden-Württemberg and Berlin elections, though a final decision could take years and monitoring may continue.
At the CDU’s Stuttgart congress, Angela Merkel was warmly welcomed, signaling a cautious return to Merkelism, while Friedrich Merz adopts a centrist stance and appears to broker unity—keeping a wary eye on the AfD and other internal tensions as the party prioritizes governing power over open conflict with Merkel’s legacy.
As a crowded year of state elections approaches, Merz’s CDU is trying to blunt the AfD’s rise in eastern Germany, notably in Saxony-Anhalt where veteran premier Haseloff steps down and Sven Schulze takes the lead ahead of the Sept. 6 vote to prevent the far-right from potentially winning a governing majority.