SONNEBERG, Germany (AP) — Mike Knoth is ecstatic that a far-right populist party candidate recently won the county administration in his rural hometown in eastern Germany. It’s the first time since the Nazi era that such a victory has occurred. As a gardener, Knoth strongly dislikes the country’s established parties, has doubts about the media, and believes there are too many migrants in Germany. He hopes that the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) will address these issues and improve the situation in Sonneberg. Knoth expressed his enthusiasm for the AfD during an interview, stating that their significant number of votes has given the party legitimacy. While Knoth supports the AfD, not everyone in Sonneberg is won over by their nationalist and antidemocratic rhetoric.
Margret Sturm, an optometrist who owns a long-standing business in Sonneberg, opposes the AfD. In an interview, she expressed her concerns about the party’s victory and its connection to Nazi ideologies. Since expressing her opposition, Sturm and her family have faced threatening phone calls and hate mail. The constant threats have even led them to install surveillance cameras in their store. Despite the intimidation, Sturm refuses to be silenced. She worries that many residents who oppose the AfD no longer feel safe expressing their criticisms openly. Stephan Kramer, the head of Thuringia’s state domestic intelligence agency, shares Sturm’s concerns about the intimidation tactics used by AfD supporters.
Kramer has been warning about the radicalism of the AfD’s Thuringia branch for years and has classified it as a “proven right-wing extremist” group. However, Knoth doesn’t find the surveillance of the AfD by the intelligence agency offensive. He believes the party was elected democratically and supports their law-and-order approach, immigration control, and efforts to make Germany safer. Despite the fact that these issues are not within the scope of a local county administrator’s responsibilities, the AfD’s campaign focused on them and resonated with voters in Sonneberg.
The AfD’s victory in Sonneberg county, where the population is relatively small, is seen as a symbolic milestone for the party. The unemployed Radoslaw Schneider also expects improvement under AfD’s administration. He believes that the party will prioritize the needs of Germans and end preferential treatment for foreigners.
The AfD’s success is attributed to various factors, including the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the influx of Ukrainian refugees to Germany. Katharina König-Preuss, a state lawmaker with The Left party in Thuringia, believes that racist narratives propagated by the AfD have gained traction among a significant portion of the East German population. König-Preuss, who is an outspoken critic of the AfD, has received death threats as a result.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition faces challenges due to high immigration, a plan to replace home heating systems, and internal conflicts, while inflation remains high. Scholz downplayed the rise of the far-right populists, emphasizing Germany’s strong democratic foundation. However, Kramer, who is Jewish, remains deeply concerned due to Germany’s history of Nazi rule and the Holocaust. If the AfD becomes part of Thuringia’s state government after the upcoming elections, Kramer intends to leave the country with his family to avoid a repeat of history.
In summary, the recent victory of the AfD in Sonneberg county has generated both excitement and concern among the town’s residents. While supporters of the party believe it will address their concerns and improve the situation in the community, critics fear that the party’s nationalist and extremist views could have dangerous consequences. The ongoing debate surrounding the AfD reflects the political and social divisions in Germany today.
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