In a fracturing political landscape, the AfD is now Germany’s most popular party nationally, though other parties have ruled out forging coalitions with the AfD in a policy known as the “firewall.”
What exactly went wrong for this catastrophe to happen?
What exactly went wrong for this catastrophe to happen?
The AfD's only selling point is that they'll end immigration.
Here's what happened: 2.6 migrants coming to Germany in 2022 alone. Net migration into Germany in 2022: +1.4 million.
There are many germans (and many people in the EU) who don't like to see mass-migration from Africa and the middle east.
It's those who let that happen (and pushed for it) who are responsible for people voting for extremist political parties.
The same is happening in France and even Gabriel Attal (ex french prime minister) said France failed to control both its legal and illegal migration and that now he wants to only allow in migrants who are coming to actually work (Gabriel Attal is probably going to be a candidate to be the next french president).
You cannot look at the AfD and say "bad AfD" / "evil neo-nazis germans who voted for them" and not take a cold hard look at what happened with migration in the EU these last years.
Have leftists voted to discriminate and get rid of the people born in Saxony-Anhalt?
In fact, which antisemitic leftists are close to governing anywhere in Germany right now? Have any antisemitic left party reached 44% of the vote anywhere?
And third question you will certainly answer without fail: which party wants to talk less about the Shoah and uses nazi slogans casually in its communication?
There are many germans (and many people in the EU) who don't like to see mass-migration from Africa and the middle east.
And there are many Germans and others who don't like to see Jews in positions of power. Were the Weimar Republic centrist parties at fault for not "remigrating" Jews before the Nazis took power?
Wrong? It's not politicians misleading people. People want this. Normal people are not "good" or "pure", they like many bad tings and Germany is a democracy.
Uncontrolled immigration (main point). High taxes. Too much benefits for non-working people. People feel this is unjust and working against them so they vote for parties that at least promise to change it.
Don't you guys have the heartless Hartz IV reform for years?
The problem, as in the US, isn't too much social help; it is too much social help for people they hate. They want the state to give them handouts, they just want it reserved to themselves, who are better, because they were born that way, and not "those other people", who are naturally lazy, because they were born that way.
Burden of the unification, where the eastern states are still lagging in many areas, got the ball rolling. Pent up dissatisfaction. Eventually it rolled over to the rest of the country with COVID, stagnant economy, social media FUD etc. A lot of the same forces that drove Trump's election. People are afraid and dissatisfied, but they cannot really say why. I know, I try to listen to them. "Our educational system is falling apart". I have two kids in school, the opportunities they get are awesome compared to what I had.
It's difficult to convince people in an idea if your goals are noble. If they are not, it's a lot simpler. The basic fear is that they will lose what they have right now and are easily manipulated into magnifying those fears.
Probably not, right? I mean, unless they're criticism is that they totally would love to teach their kid all these things much better than they do in school, but the kid won't accept homeschooling in the afternoon when it already went to school in the morning, but I kinda doubt that's their issue.
Anyways, thanks and kudos for talking to and listening to them. I think our society really fucked up in that regard. I have to think of things as old as "Deine Gewalt ist nur ein stummer Schrei nach Liebe.... ARSCHLOCH!", if you know what I mean... then we rested on being better than the poor conspiracy theorists and "Covidioten" and whatever. Rarely do we try to work with people we find "too disagreeable". And now we have the salad :(
I mean when I say I talk to them, I don't mean I go to AfD gatherings, you cannot discuss with these people. But I do go to e.g. play sports with some older guys in their 50s and hear what they have to say. And the way I know a lot of them vote AfD is because they never talk about AfD, which is the polar opposite of everyone else around me. Plus the complaining about the Green Party. And btw I am not German and we have zero issues with each other. So I think the reason for a large part of the people voting like this is more nuanced than a simple Nazis and Xenophobes label. Sure a lot of them yes, but I think the regular people that got duped have their reasons. Everyone has certain tendencies and why you get pulled in one direction is an interesting thing to figure out. The problem of why needs to be understood before it can be solved. My opinion I can repeat: it's fear magnified and manipulated by social media, as well as especially in the east a lack of identity and pride. A lot of good people left for somewhere else because the money was better. There are less populated areas where I've been to hike and you ask the locals on the street about a place to eat and they say just "there hasn't been anything here in a long time". And there's some genuine resent in those words. Those places are like 50+ percent AfD.
There are less populated areas where I've been to hike and you ask the locals on the street about a place to eat and they say just "there hasn't been anything here in a long time". And there's some genuine resent in those words.
I don't get how they make the jump that this is the fault of immigrants, LGBT or the Green.
My conclusion after seeing trumpism is not that they are suffering because of external factors (left behind, abandonned by the state, et .) and thus turn to grifters selling them the Moon: their poverty has the same origin as them getting suckered by grifters: an internal inability to assume failure, learn from mistakes and improve, instead blaming everyone else but themselves, and thus being stuck at the bottom of society as it should be. Grievance from losers who will never, ever admit any wrongdoing.
I fully agree, but I think you forgot social media as a catalyst. People being trapped in echo chambers. AfD (and all the associated conspiracy theorists) are classical con men.
Comments
What exactly went wrong for this catastrophe to happen?
The AfD's only selling point is that they'll end immigration.
Here's what happened: 2.6 migrants coming to Germany in 2022 alone. Net migration into Germany in 2022: +1.4 million.
There are many germans (and many people in the EU) who don't like to see mass-migration from Africa and the middle east.
It's those who let that happen (and pushed for it) who are responsible for people voting for extremist political parties.
The same is happening in France and even Gabriel Attal (ex french prime minister) said France failed to control both its legal and illegal migration and that now he wants to only allow in migrants who are coming to actually work (Gabriel Attal is probably going to be a candidate to be the next french president).
You cannot look at the AfD and say "bad AfD" / "evil neo-nazis germans who voted for them" and not take a cold hard look at what happened with migration in the EU these last years.
Immigration in Saxony-Anhalt is the lowest in Germany, not that anyone cares.
And they just voted to keep it that way.
Hating people they don't know, based on second-hand testimonies.
Ask them their opinions about Jews, too.
Yes leftists are the least likely to know AfD supporters.
The most openly antisemitic groups in Germany are leftists, so, I don't want to ask them about their awful opinions about the Jews.
Have leftists voted to discriminate and get rid of the people born in Saxony-Anhalt?
In fact, which antisemitic leftists are close to governing anywhere in Germany right now? Have any antisemitic left party reached 44% of the vote anywhere?
And third question you will certainly answer without fail: which party wants to talk less about the Shoah and uses nazi slogans casually in its communication?
Can you please tell us about your first-hand experience with AfD supporters?
I think you meant to write "anti-Zionist" instead of "antisemitic."
Certainly the Jews don't think the AfD is their friend. https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2026-09-07/ty-arti...
And there are many Germans and others who don't like to see Jews in positions of power. Were the Weimar Republic centrist parties at fault for not "remigrating" Jews before the Nazis took power?
Wrong? It's not politicians misleading people. People want this. Normal people are not "good" or "pure", they like many bad tings and Germany is a democracy.
Uncontrolled immigration (main point). High taxes. Too much benefits for non-working people. People feel this is unjust and working against them so they vote for parties that at least promise to change it.
Don't you guys have the heartless Hartz IV reform for years?
The problem, as in the US, isn't too much social help; it is too much social help for people they hate. They want the state to give them handouts, they just want it reserved to themselves, who are better, because they were born that way, and not "those other people", who are naturally lazy, because they were born that way.
"What exactly went wrong for this catastrophe to happen?"
Many things.
"most popular party nationally"
But not as bad as it sounds, because we have many different parties, and the majority is not AfD.
Burden of the unification, where the eastern states are still lagging in many areas, got the ball rolling. Pent up dissatisfaction. Eventually it rolled over to the rest of the country with COVID, stagnant economy, social media FUD etc. A lot of the same forces that drove Trump's election. People are afraid and dissatisfied, but they cannot really say why. I know, I try to listen to them. "Our educational system is falling apart". I have two kids in school, the opportunities they get are awesome compared to what I had.
It's difficult to convince people in an idea if your goals are noble. If they are not, it's a lot simpler. The basic fear is that they will lose what they have right now and are easily manipulated into magnifying those fears.
Are they aware that the AfD wants to introduce homeschooling?
https://www.news4teachers.de/2026/05/afd-will-schulpflicht-f...
Probably not, right? I mean, unless they're criticism is that they totally would love to teach their kid all these things much better than they do in school, but the kid won't accept homeschooling in the afternoon when it already went to school in the morning, but I kinda doubt that's their issue.
Anyways, thanks and kudos for talking to and listening to them. I think our society really fucked up in that regard. I have to think of things as old as "Deine Gewalt ist nur ein stummer Schrei nach Liebe.... ARSCHLOCH!", if you know what I mean... then we rested on being better than the poor conspiracy theorists and "Covidioten" and whatever. Rarely do we try to work with people we find "too disagreeable". And now we have the salad :(
I mean when I say I talk to them, I don't mean I go to AfD gatherings, you cannot discuss with these people. But I do go to e.g. play sports with some older guys in their 50s and hear what they have to say. And the way I know a lot of them vote AfD is because they never talk about AfD, which is the polar opposite of everyone else around me. Plus the complaining about the Green Party. And btw I am not German and we have zero issues with each other. So I think the reason for a large part of the people voting like this is more nuanced than a simple Nazis and Xenophobes label. Sure a lot of them yes, but I think the regular people that got duped have their reasons. Everyone has certain tendencies and why you get pulled in one direction is an interesting thing to figure out. The problem of why needs to be understood before it can be solved. My opinion I can repeat: it's fear magnified and manipulated by social media, as well as especially in the east a lack of identity and pride. A lot of good people left for somewhere else because the money was better. There are less populated areas where I've been to hike and you ask the locals on the street about a place to eat and they say just "there hasn't been anything here in a long time". And there's some genuine resent in those words. Those places are like 50+ percent AfD.
I don't get how they make the jump that this is the fault of immigrants, LGBT or the Green.
My conclusion after seeing trumpism is not that they are suffering because of external factors (left behind, abandonned by the state, et .) and thus turn to grifters selling them the Moon: their poverty has the same origin as them getting suckered by grifters: an internal inability to assume failure, learn from mistakes and improve, instead blaming everyone else but themselves, and thus being stuck at the bottom of society as it should be. Grievance from losers who will never, ever admit any wrongdoing.
Kladderadatsch!
I fully agree, but I think you forgot social media as a catalyst. People being trapped in echo chambers. AfD (and all the associated conspiracy theorists) are classical con men.
The only thing that makes sense to me is that lots of people want an actual right wing government, not one who's just in coalition with the left.
That's the only explanation that makes sense to me, without calling lots of people Nazis/fascists/communists etc.
And turnout was way, way up, indicating that a lot of people went out to vote.
Like, I dislike who they voted for, but as a democrat, I want more people to vote so I'm a little conflicted at the moment.
A catastrophe named democracy. Leftists are rejecting democracy and embracing autocracy to get their way.