AfD (Germany)

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 […]

Government & Politics

Media and migrants: How journalists help fuel populist momentum Polls say that migrants aren't what Germans are most concerned about. So why do the media and politicians push the topic so much? Is the AfD profiting from their mistakes? DW's Jefferson Chase takes a self-critical look.

July 21, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) It’s a result that has given journalistic and political Berlin pause for thought: Germans are more concerned about old-age poverty and affordable housing than about migrants. At least that’s the finding of a recent Emnid poll for the Bild am […]