AfD (Germany)

Government & Politics

Germany deported more than 90 ‘potential terrorists’ Since 2016, Germany has deported a number of people suspected of being willing or capable of carrying out terrorist attacks. The government figures were released in response to a parliamentary inquiry.

December 6, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Germany has deported 90 “Gefährder” and other “relevant persons” since the 2016 attack on a Berlin Christmas market, according to German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, which cited a government response to a parliamentary inquiry on Friday. In Germany a “Gefährder” (lit. “endangerer”) […]

Books

Controversial German ex-politician’s speech canceled after threats Social Democrat politician Thilo Sarrazin, who has written several books criticizing Islam, was due to appear in Bremen. Local media said staff were put under pressure to drop the event amid planned left-wing protests.

November 30, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Thilo Sarrazin, who has been accused by Islamic organizations of racism and damaging Germany’s reputation, will no longer appear at a private business club in the northwestern city of Bremen next month. The Weser-Kurier newspaper cited organizers as saying the […]

Government & Politics

Germany: Terror victims to receive better compensation After criticism that the victims of the 2016 Berlin terrorist attack were left behind, Germany has passed new laws on damages. Victims will be more speedily and more generously compensated.

November 8, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Future victims of terrorist attacks in Germany will get better and speedier [compensation] after a new law was passed in the Bundestag on Thursday evening. The modernizing move came after criticism of the treatment received by the victims of the […]

Clerics & Preachers

Muslim, Jewish leaders team up in ‘exemplary’ European initiative Imams and rabbis from across Europe are attending a summit in Italy organized by the Muslim Jewish Leadership Council. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and right-wing populism are all topics they'd like to address better.

September 15, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Although the site is remote, it has plenty of symbolism: Beginning this Sunday, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders from some 15 countries will meet in the southern Italian city of Matera, one of Europe’s 2019 cultural capitals, to take part […]

Crime

Chemnitz: Syrian asylum-seeker convicted of killing that sparked far-right riots Alaa S. has been sentenced to nine years and six months for the killing of Daniel H. Chemnitz has done a lot to try and alter its image since the death.

August 22, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The man accused of the killing that led to a week of far-right violence last year in Chemnitz was found guilty of manslaughter at a court in Dresden on Thursday, and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. […]

Children & Teens

German daycares under police protection after plans to stop serving pork Two Leipzig daycare centers reversed moves to remove pork from the menu after the plans sparked a nationwide debate. The heated responses prompted police to park patrol cars outside to protect against 'possible dangers.'

July 23, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Plans to no longer serve children pork or gelatin-containing products like gummy bears at two daycare centers in the eastern German city of Leipzig prompted a wave of criticism online and made headlines across the country on Tuesday. The mass-circulation […]

Government & Politics

Give Matteo Salvini the Nobel Peace Prize, says far-right German AfD’s Beatrix von Storch thinks the Italian interior minister has made a ‘great contribution to the security and stability of Europe.’

June 20, 2019   

(Politico) German MP Beatrix von Storch reckons Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for his “great contribution to the security and stability of Europe.” “I propose Matteo Salvini for the Nobel Peace Prize because he […]

Government & Politics

German intelligence agency warns of ‘Islamic State’ attacks From a military point of view, the 'Islamic State' has been defeated in the Middle East. However, the group remains a dangerous terrorist organization in the West, warns Germany's domestic intelligence agency.

May 13, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) It was the first time Thomas Haldenwang, president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or BfV, had hosted his agency’s traditional symposium. The event on Monday in Berlin was entitled “Mobilization Capability in Political Extremism” — […]

Immigration

Germans increasingly hostile towards asylum-seekers More than half of Germans view asylum-seekers in a negative light, a new study shows. Prejudice against the newcomers has grown even as fewer migrants come to Germany.

April 25, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Right-wing populist attitudes have become “normal” in Germany’s mainstream, said authors of a new study presented by the left-wing Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Berlin on Thursday. “The center is losing its footing and its democratic orientation,” researchers said. The foundation […]

Crime

Chemnitz murder trial begins amid questions of impartiality Daniel H.'s stabbing death led to weeks of unrest and the sacking of Germany's domestic intel chief. Now, the murder trial has begun despite major evidence 'gaps' and concern about lay judges' conflicts of interest.

March 18, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The trial of Alaa S. began in Dresden on Monday morning in the middle of a media scrum and fears of far-right protests, following the killing last year of Daniel H. in Chemnitz — an incident that led to a week […]

Academics & Education

Kiel University bans full-face veil in classrooms A spokesman said the move was not exceptional, citing similar decisions by other institutions of higher education. But some politicians have called the decision 'untenable,' saying it undermines religious freedom.

February 13, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Kiel University on Wednesday announced that it has banned full-face coverings in classrooms, citing the need for open communication that includes facial expressions and gestures. However, the university in the capital of the German state Schleswig-Holstein clarified that its action did […]

Crime

Police refute claims of far-right patrols after migrant attacks Four asylum-seekers reportedly assaulted a dozen people in the Bavarian town of Amberg over the weekend, renewing debate over migration. The mayor rejected fears of vigilantism by the far-right NPD.

January 3, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) A German far-right group claims to have carried out street patrols in the Bavarian town of Amberg where four asylum-seekers allegedly attacked a dozen passers-by over the weekend. The Nuremberg branch of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) posted pictures […]

Government & Politics

German court rejects AfD’s complaint over Angela Merkel’s refugee policy Judges on Germany's highest court unanimously threw out legal complaints brought by the AfD. They said far-right lawmakers failed to show how Merkel's 2015 decision to let in refugees was a constitutional violation.

December 18, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s Constitutional Court dismissed three complaints initiated by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) challenging German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policies in 2015. Judges on the high court unanimously rejected all the cases, which were brought by the AfD’s group […]

Government & Politics

CDU hopeful Merz decried as ‘Trump light’ for questioning asylum rights Opposition lawmakers have lodged hefty criticism against Merkel's could-be successor for questioning the right to asylum. The populist AfD said Merz has become more right-wing than they are.

November 22, 2018 and   

(Deutsche Welle) Friedrich Merz, the millionaire lawyer and financial manager who is hoping to lead the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after Chancellor Angela Merkel steps down as party leader in December, was in trouble on Thursday after suggesting Germany should reopen the debate on […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

German lawmakers slam AfD party for anti-Islamic motion MPs accuse far-right Alternative for Germany of racism, inciting hatred against Muslims

October 11, 2018   

(Anadolu) Lawmakers from different parties heavily criticized the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Thursday over its controversial motion demanding a ban on the Quran. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) accused the AfD of distorted generalizations about Islam and […]

Government & Politics

Far-right AfD launches JAfD Jewish faction A small Jewish group has set itself up within Germany's far-right AfD party despite scorn from 17 Jewish organizations. Critics say the AfD remains anti-democratic and harbors hatred to the point of Holocaust denial.

October 7, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) The small group founded Sunday in Wiesbaden by 19 Jewish members of the AfD would call itself Jews in the AfD (JAfD), said Wolfgang Fuhl, chairman of a southern German branch of the far-right anti-migrant party. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has […]

Government & Politics

AfD’s Jews say German far-right party isn’t anti-Semitic A small number of Jewish people are founding a group to support the far-right Alternative for Germany party. They say the reports of the AfD's anti-Semitism are overblown.

September 25, 2018 and   

(Deutsche Welle) Politicians and Jewish organizations have condemned a new Jewish group affiliated with the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD). The group, Juden in der AfD (“Jews in the AfD,” or JAfD), is preparing for a launch event on October 7 in the city of […]