Rising Far-Right Support Among Young Voters in East German City

[Social Media]

 

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party made significant gains among young voters in Germany, particularly in the former communist East. This shift has sparked considerable concern and debate about the reasons behind the increasing support for the AfD among the youth. For the first time in a national poll, 16- and 17-year-olds could cast their ballots, a reform strongly backed by left-leaning parties. These young voters, who overwhelmingly supported the Greens five years ago, have now given the AfD 16% of their vote, an 11-point rise. This placed the party second behind the opposition CDU-CSU conservatives and well ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats. The AfD tapped deep wells of support in the former communist East, winning in every state including Brandenburg, where it claimed 27.5% of the vote.

 

Paul Friedrich, a 16-year-old from Brandenburg an der Havel, proudly declared his support for the AfD. "Correct, I voted AfD," he said amidst the bustle of the commuter railway station in Brandenburg an der Havel, an hour from central Berlin. Friedrich looks like many of his peers heading home from school, sporting a budding wisp of a mustache and an oversized hoodie. His concerns echo those of many teenagers and young adults in town: fears of war spreading in Europe, inflation, economic decline, "unchecked" immigration, and, above all, violent crime, which they say is rampant when they use public transport or hang out in public spaces at night.

 

"A lot of things are moving in the wrong direction with the current government," Friedrich said, referring to Scholz's increasingly loveless center-left-led alliance. "I want to change things with my vote – I want the AfD to shape that." This sentiment resonates with many young AfD supporters who believe in the party's explicit backing of "remigration" of Germans with immigrant roots who "fail to integrate." News in January that top AfD officials had discussed such a proposal prompted widespread outrage and sent tens of thousands of Germans onto the streets in protest. However, among many AfD voters, the notion has become an unabashed talking point.

 

"Not everyone should have to go, but at least the criminals, like in Mannheim – this can’t go on," said Konstantin, 17, referring to the killing of a police officer in the western city just days before the election, allegedly by an Afghan asylum seeker with a jihadist motive. Brushing aside party scandals and attempts to whitewash the Nazi past, Konstantin and his friend Leonard, 18, also voted AfD. "When I go out I get insulted and even spat on by, let’s just say, non-Germans – those aren’t German values," Leonard said. "If refugees come here and work and behave and leave me alone, that’s fine, but if not, they should go home."

 

Lea, a 22-year-old office clerk, declined to reveal how she voted but said the AfD and the new economically left-wing but socially conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which garnered 14% in Brandenburg, were the "only ones" addressing local security. "I don’t have anything against foreigners, but the problem with crime has got out of hand. You see people drawing knives every weekend," she said. Violent crime in Brandenburg an der Havel has surged in recent years, with a 9% rise in assaults between 2021 and 2023. Of the city’s 74,000 people, about 6,000 were born abroad.

 

Noura Abu Agwa, a 24-year-old refugee from Damascus, said she and her mother also felt increasingly unsafe in town but blamed the strong presence of the far-right. "When I arrived I was wearing the hijab, but I got harassed, so I took it off," she said. "I feel bad for my mom because she’s still wearing it, and once she was walking in the street, and a man stopped her to shout at her. She was so confused because she only speaks Arabic."

Anna Leisten, the head of the AfD’s state youth wing, said its outreach had targeted the lasting impact of the anti-pandemic measures. "Forced testing, homeschooling, bans on going out – an entire generation had their youth taken away." Leisten, who said she had experienced "exclusion, propaganda, and intimidation" as a teenager in Brandenburg, praised the party’s mastery of platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to reach the young, "while Olaf Scholz posts boring videos about his briefcase."

 

All the young Germans approached by the Guardian in Brandenburg talked about their anxiety about the war in Ukraine, with many criticizing the governing parties for weapons shipments and expressing angst that they or their peers could one day be called on to fight. Germany suspended conscription 13 years ago, but is debating strategies to boost recruitment. "Ukraine never interested us before – this is a thing between Ukraine and Russia," Friedrich said of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. "Why should we help Nato expand its territory using our arms?"

 

Others said the government’s support for Ukraine had driven them to splinter parties, which together clinched 28% of the under-25 electorate, by far the largest share. Such fears and economic concerns have supplanted the climate crisis at the front of young voters’ minds, a recent study found. "I voted for Volt, mainly because I’m concerned about the future of Europe and really care about the cause of peace," said Mathias Sarömba, a 22-year-old legal system trainee, referring to the small pro-European party that called for rejecting extremists with slogans such as "Don’t Be an Asshole." He said he had managed to persuade his mother in "tearful discussions" not to vote AfD, explaining how its stance on "queer rights" made him feel personally threatened. "It was only then that she got it."

 

Henriette Vogel, a 21-year-old laboratory assistant, also called the AfD’s surge "scary," citing its "misogynist" positions on reproductive rights and workplace equality. She cast her ballot for the tiny Animal Protection party. "First of all because I wanted to oppose the AfD, but also because I’m not happy with the major parties. But I didn’t want to abstain because every vote counts."

 

Kilian Hampel, a co-author of the study Youth in Germany, which in April predicted a jump in support for the far-right, said that with three eastern states voting in September and a general election expected next year, the trend toward fragmentation is likely to magnify. "If faith in the bigger parties continues to decline, the smaller parties will probably be the big winners," he said.

 

This growing support for the AfD among young voters, especially in eastern Germany, signifies a substantial shift in the political landscape. The traditional dominance of larger parties is being challenged, highlighting the urgent need for these parties to address the concerns and fears of younger voters more effectively.

 

Credit: The Guardian 2024-06-15

 

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[thaibeachlovers]

The only thing surprising about that is that anyone is surprised about it.

[thaipo7]

thaibeachlovers - You are right.  People are tired of the Leftist and the Communist ways of the Leftists.  Notice the people on the Right are always Far Right, Radical Far Right or in American MAGA Extremists.  The Marxist, Socialist, Communist Left don't get names like this.  They are the normal people way of governments.  I don't know why but I can turn off the BOLD print.

[newbee2022]

8 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party made significant gains among young voters in Germany, particularly in the former communist East. This shift has sparked considerable concern and debate about the reasons behind the increasing support for the AfD among the youth. For the first time in a national poll, 16- and 17-year-olds could cast their ballots, a reform strongly backed by left-leaning parties. These young voters, who overwhelmingly supported the Greens five years ago, have now given the AfD 16% of their vote, an 11-point rise. This placed the party second behind the opposition CDU-CSU conservatives and well ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats. The AfD tapped deep wells of support in the former communist East, winning in every state including Brandenburg, where it claimed 27.5% of the vote.

 

Paul Friedrich, a 16-year-old from Brandenburg an der Havel, proudly declared his support for the AfD. "Correct, I voted AfD," he said amidst the bustle of the commuter railway station in Brandenburg an der Havel, an hour from central Berlin. Friedrich looks like many of his peers heading home from school, sporting a budding wisp of a mustache and an oversized hoodie. His concerns echo those of many teenagers and young adults in town: fears of war spreading in Europe, inflation, economic decline, "unchecked" immigration, and, above all, violent crime, which they say is rampant when they use public transport or hang out in public spaces at night.

 

"A lot of things are moving in the wrong direction with the current government," Friedrich said, referring to Scholz's increasingly loveless center-left-led alliance. "I want to change things with my vote – I want the AfD to shape that." This sentiment resonates with many young AfD supporters who believe in the party's explicit backing of "remigration" of Germans with immigrant roots who "fail to integrate." News in January that top AfD officials had discussed such a proposal prompted widespread outrage and sent tens of thousands of Germans onto the streets in protest. However, among many AfD voters, the notion has become an unabashed talking point.

 

"Not everyone should have to go, but at least the criminals, like in Mannheim – this can’t go on," said Konstantin, 17, referring to the killing of a police officer in the western city just days before the election, allegedly by an Afghan asylum seeker with a jihadist motive. Brushing aside party scandals and attempts to whitewash the Nazi past, Konstantin and his friend Leonard, 18, also voted AfD. "When I go out I get insulted and even spat on by, let’s just say, non-Germans – those aren’t German values," Leonard said. "If refugees come here and work and behave and leave me alone, that’s fine, but if not, they should go home."

 

Lea, a 22-year-old office clerk, declined to reveal how she voted but said the AfD and the new economically left-wing but socially conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which garnered 14% in Brandenburg, were the "only ones" addressing local security. "I don’t have anything against foreigners, but the problem with crime has got out of hand. You see people drawing knives every weekend," she said. Violent crime in Brandenburg an der Havel has surged in recent years, with a 9% rise in assaults between 2021 and 2023. Of the city’s 74,000 people, about 6,000 were born abroad.

 

Noura Abu Agwa, a 24-year-old refugee from Damascus, said she and her mother also felt increasingly unsafe in town but blamed the strong presence of the far-right. "When I arrived I was wearing the hijab, but I got harassed, so I took it off," she said. "I feel bad for my mom because she’s still wearing it, and once she was walking in the street, and a man stopped her to shout at her. She was so confused because she only speaks Arabic."

Anna Leisten, the head of the AfD’s state youth wing, said its outreach had targeted the lasting impact of the anti-pandemic measures. "Forced testing, homeschooling, bans on going out – an entire generation had their youth taken away." Leisten, who said she had experienced "exclusion, propaganda, and intimidation" as a teenager in Brandenburg, praised the party’s mastery of platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to reach the young, "while Olaf Scholz posts boring videos about his briefcase."

 

All the young Germans approached by the Guardian in Brandenburg talked about their anxiety about the war in Ukraine, with many criticizing the governing parties for weapons shipments and expressing angst that they or their peers could one day be called on to fight. Germany suspended conscription 13 years ago, but is debating strategies to boost recruitment. "Ukraine never interested us before – this is a thing between Ukraine and Russia," Friedrich said of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. "Why should we help Nato expand its territory using our arms?"

 

Others said the government’s support for Ukraine had driven them to splinter parties, which together clinched 28% of the under-25 electorate, by far the largest share. Such fears and economic concerns have supplanted the climate crisis at the front of young voters’ minds, a recent study found. "I voted for Volt, mainly because I’m concerned about the future of Europe and really care about the cause of peace," said Mathias Sarömba, a 22-year-old legal system trainee, referring to the small pro-European party that called for rejecting extremists with slogans such as "Don’t Be an <deleted>." He said he had managed to persuade his mother in "tearful discussions" not to vote AfD, explaining how its stance on "queer rights" made him feel personally threatened. "It was only then that she got it."

 

Henriette Vogel, a 21-year-old laboratory assistant, also called the AfD’s surge "scary," citing its "misogynist" positions on reproductive rights and workplace equality. She cast her ballot for the tiny Animal Protection party. "First of all because I wanted to oppose the AfD, but also because I’m not happy with the major parties. But I didn’t want to abstain because every vote counts."

 

Kilian Hampel, a co-author of the study Youth in Germany, which in April predicted a jump in support for the far-right, said that with three eastern states voting in September and a general election expected next year, the trend toward fragmentation is likely to magnify. "If faith in the bigger parties continues to decline, the smaller parties will probably be the big winners," he said.

 

This growing support for the AfD among young voters, especially in eastern Germany, signifies a substantial shift in the political landscape. The traditional dominance of larger parties is being challenged, highlighting the urgent need for these parties to address the concerns and fears of younger voters more effectively.

 

Credit: The Guardian 2024-06-15

 

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That's nonsense.

Many of those "foreigners" were born in Germany. And if you want to send them "home"...their home is Germany. Only a small percentage could go back, that are those who will be accepted. With Afghanistan or Syria EU doesn't have diplomatic relations. So, they have to stay, even not welcome. And those who committed crimes eg Germany, eg Afghanistan men, are highly welcomed and get money for their crimes and are free! No jail at all. So I think it's better to jail them in EU.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, thaipo7 said:

thaibeachlovers - You are right.  People are tired of the Leftist and the Communist ways of the Leftists.  Notice the people on the Right are always Far Right, Radical Far Right or in American MAGA Extremists.  The Marxist, Socialist, Communist Left don't get names like this.  They are the normal people way of governments.  I don't know why but I can turn off the BOLD print.

IMO they are all as bad as each other. I haven't seen a decent government since I understood politics.

Promise everything when it's election time and rarely follow through.

 

Sooner an AI becomes the government the better IMO. Get rid of all those bureaucrats too.

[novacova]

14 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Sooner an AI becomes the government the better IMO. Get rid of all those bureaucrats too.

AI is good for some things such as military and manufacturing. But for information, politics and government handling? No way, ai is mostly programmed by leftist with leftist input, therefore just a heap of trash to reinforce and propagate political ideological bias.

[klauskunkel]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The only thing surprising about that is that anyone is surprised about it.

I am surprised that Germany lowered the voting age to 16. 

[mogandave]

Anyone not marching lockstep with the left is a far right extremist.

[Purdey]

Good to see young people getting involved in politics. 

[riclag]

2 hours ago, thaipo7 said:

thaibeachlovers - You are right.  People are tired of the Leftist and the Communist ways of the Leftists.  Notice the people on the Right are always Far Right, Radical Far Right or in American MAGA Extremists.  The Marxist, Socialist, Communist Left don't get names like this.  They are the normal people way of governments.  I don't know why but I can turn off the BOLD print.

Thanks so much  for speaking up!

Say their names!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RichardColeman]

Anyone one step towards the middle on the far left is a far right extremist to the idiot left these days - even if they are still left leaning !! I am right, always been a right, but at least I could understand the left argument of their position in the past even if I could not agree with it. Far left in the USA in power now and some of the nutters in my own UK now are so extreme as to be close to insane.

[JonnyF]

Destroying the myth that the young are all lefty liberals.

 

Great to see young people seeing through the lies of Wokeism. This could signal the end of an unpleasant era of gaslighting and hypocrisy.

[charleskerins]

Hotsie totsie   I spy a NAZI