Germans flock to only three-year-old far right party the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland)
So, the 2017 German election, which was billed beforehand as a traditionally dull affair (German elections are famously predictable and boring), has opened a can of fascistic worms.
The far-right AfD beat all expectations and gathered 13% of the popular vote, making them the third biggest party.
The AfD run on a platform of anti-immigration and extremely socially conservative views. They want to end all migration to Germany, and end same-sex marriage and adoptions by gay couples.
They have been accused of being far-right nationalists, and having a covert 'Nazi' agenda - accusations which are specifically denied by party leaders. Still, young liberal Germans are deeply concerned about the result and have taken to the streets to denounce AfD supporters.
The party have been officially active for less than four years, making their dizzying rise completely unprecedented in Germany, which has been dominated by an establishment party duopoly of the currently Merkel-led CDU and the centre-left SPD since the nation was rebuilt after the Second World War.
To make things even more bizarre, the leader of the AfD, Frauke Petry, immediately stepped-down from Parliament after being elected. Merely hours after their arrival on the German political roadmap they are already breaking from convention.
The Alternative for Germany’s co-chair Frauke Petry announced Monday that she will not be joining her party colleagues in the Bundestag after the far-right AfD won around 13 percent of the vote in the German election on Sunday.
Petry appeared to take fellow party officials by surprise by announcing at a news conference that, “after long deliberation,” she will not be joining the new party group. She then walked out of the press conference, leaving her colleagues baffled.
So much for boring German politics.
Again a great post, thank you:)
The AfD was different when it started. Bernd Lucke, who led the party in the beginning, was mainly against Europe from an economic standpoint. He left the party after he failed to get rid of the racist elements.
It is sad to see that only the far right is advocating to leave the EU and have better immigration politics. The far left (Die Linke) used to be on the same boat when it comes to these issues and Sahra Wagenknecht actually announced that the left should be more open to discuss those issues in the future.
The AfD voters are supported by all the stuff they see coming from the states like "Islam is evil" is kind of a harsh thing to say if about 7% of your population are muslims.
However I think having the AfD be the third strongest party will be a good thing for free speech. As much as I don't like many far right arguments, I do believe they have the right to voice their opinions in the parlament.
I live in Germany and I am really shocked that so many people have chosen AfD! This party is an absolute mess to me!
I am generally disappointed with the election results.
While these may be considered 'far right' views currently in the MSM, they are core values of family oriented people, who are not far right, but quite in the middle of the maelstrom.
Given the economic integration, or rather the failure of it to occur, of extant immigrants to Germany, it seems only reasonable to quit importing immigrants, until the country can assimilate those that have already come, and remain without work, on welfare.
If that's a political agenda at all, call me a whatever you want. I just think it's reasonable to want to preserve the culture which, presumably, the German people have created of the values they hold dear. Massive influxes of immigrants that do not adopt that culture is a problem that more immigrants that won't assimilate will only make worse.
Regarding same sex unions and adoptions, I reckon those are far left positions, and not agreeing with them doesn't jam someone on the opposite end of the spectrum. Most people think kids should be raised by their biological parents, who, by necessity, are of opposite sex, or in families similarly composed.
Just because the far left has been constantly promoted by media doesn't make it centrist. It's radical, and many find it dangerous and contrary to the values of the German people and their culture.
That would explain the rapid emergence of the AfD.
It doesn't explain the bizarre behaviour of the successful AfD candidate. Blackmail might, though. Or other threats.
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