Good morning. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party now polls above 20% in Germany – and it is showing no signs of going away. Earlier this month, a story emerged that you might have expected to deal a hammer blow to its popularity: AfD politicians met with rightwing extremists and neo-Nazi activists to discuss a “masterplan” for mass deportations.
Mainstream political leaders condemned the AfD, and tens of thousands marched in protest across Germany for seven nights in a row. Yesterday, Philip Oltermann and Kate Connolly reported for the Observer that theatregoers attending a staged reading of the original report in Berlin chanted “Everyone, together, against fascism” for 10 minutes when it ended. Despite all of this the AfD’s support appears to be unaffected. The party is on track to win three major state elections in the east of Germany during 2024.
