AfD calls its performance in Brandenburg ‘huge success’ but Social Democratic party projected to take the lead
Voting has ended in Brandenburg. Here’s a first exit poll, from ARD:
Social Democratic party (SPD): 31%
Continue reading...Category Archives: The far right
Social Democrats fend off AfD in crucial German state election, initial results show
Olaf Scholz’s SPD made a late comeback after trailing far-right party throughout Brandenburg campaign
The far-right Alternative für Deutschland party has narrowly missed out on victory in an election in the German state of Brandenburg, according to initial results, three weeks after making historic gains in two other regions.
In what had been widely interpreted as a referendum on the federal government of Olaf Scholz ahead of next autumn’s general election, his Social Democratic party (SPD) appeared at the 11th hour to have clawed back its lead over the anti-immigrant populists who had been on course for months to seize victory in the state for the first time.
Continue reading...Far-right AfD looking to make German history in Brandenburg state election
Attention is focused on regional vote this Sunday that could determine the fate of the national government
Björn Höcke shielded his eyes from the bright lights as he peered from the stage into the crowds gathered on a square in front of a gothic church in central Cottbus.
Flanked by the slogans “It’s time for real change” and “It’s time to save our country,” the leader of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Thuringia swept into Cottbus, the second largest city in the state of Brandenburg, for the party’s final rally before a regional election on Sunday that could determine the fate of Germany’s government.
Continue reading...‘Frockgate’ and Starmer’s love-in with Meloni – Politics Weekly UK
The row over ‘frockgate’ continues to trouble the prime minister this week, while his decision to visit his far-right Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, has upset many in his party. The Guardian’s John Harris talks to the political correspondent Aletha Adu, who was travelling with Keir Starmer. Also, the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, joins John Harris to look at the rise of the far-right on the continent
Continue reading...Dutch government led by far-right PVV asks EU for opt-out from asylum rules
Move by coalition headed by Geert Wilders’ Freedom party is unlikely to get a positive reception in Brussels
The new Dutch coalition government headed by Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom party (PVV) appears to be on a collision course with the EU over immigration after formally asking Brussels for an opt-out on asylum rules.
“I have just informed the European Commission that I want an ‘opt-out’ on migration matters in Europe for the Netherlands,” the asylum and migration minister Marjolein Faber, a member of the PVV, said on X on Wednesday.
Continue reading...Friedrich Merz looks likely to be Germany’s next leader but how will he defuse the AfD?
The CDU chief has had a smooth lead but he must act to halt the march of far-right voters before the general election
• Everyone is terrified of a far-right return in Germany. Here’s why it won’t happen
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s mercurial conservative opposition chief and a passionate hobby pilot, should be flying high these days as the country’s hotly tipped next leader.
One year before the next general election, his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has enjoyed a comfortable lead for months with about 32% support, nearly double the score of its nearest competitors, as the fractious government led by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz plumbs new depths of disfavour.
Continue reading...AfD’s success in German elections piles pressure on a fragmented EU
The centre ‘may be holding’ but if the far right continues to win elections, the European project faces a rocky few years
Alternative für Deutschland’s stunning success in Germany’s regional elections was described as “bitter” and “worrying” by chancellor Olaf Scholz. It is also concerning for the EU, which is grappling with existential problems, from Russia’s grinding war on Ukraine to the climate crisis, while at the beginning of a new five-year cycle after the European elections earlier this summer.
“A dark day for Germany is a dark day for Europe,” said French centrist MEP leader Valérie Heyer. While the results in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony were not a surprise after the AfD’s strong showing in June’s European parliamentary vote, they confirm the steady rise of parties once considered beyond the pale.
Continue reading...‘A dark day for Germany is a dark day for Europe’: liberals react to far right success in German state election – as it happened
Election results in Germany causes consternation across Europe as German chancellor says preliminary results in Thuringia are ‘bitter’
Here’s the updated seat distribution in Saxony.
The state election commission corrected the preliminary results.
Continue reading...German far-right party AfD poised for state election victory in east
Alternative für Deutschland leader speaks of ‘historic success’ of top place in Thuringia and second in Saxony
A far-right party became the biggest force in a German state parliament for the first time since the second world war, preliminary results showed on Sunday, while a new populist force on the left established a firm foothold in the country’s political landscape.
Voters in two closely watched elections in the former communist east made their dissatisfaction with Germany’s mainstream political parties clear, putting the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in the top spot in Thuringia, with 32.8% of the vote, and second place in Saxony, with 30.6%, according to preliminary results.
Continue reading...Success of far-right AfD shows east and west Germany are drifting further apart
Likely win in Thuringia and second place in Saxony highlight how eastern voters are asserting their own political identity
After the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, the former West German chancellor Willy Brandt predicted that reunification would finally allow “what belongs together to grow together”.
How optimistic that image of organic healing sounds 35 years on. Tonight’s historic election results from Thuringia and Saxony paint a picture of a Germany whose eastern and western regions are, if anything, drifting further and further apart.
Continue reading...German state elections: Far right leads in Thuringia exit poll, centre-right ahead in Saxony – as it happened
Exit polls show strong performance for far-right Alternative für Deutschland in both German state elections
The centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has taken a narrow lead in Saxony, with the far right Alternative für Deutschland following closely in second place, according to the first exit polls.
Saxony ZDF exit poll
Continue reading...‘A test case for German democracy’: populists ride high before state elections
Political landscape faces upheaval as far-right AfD and left-conservative BSW expected to perform strongly
The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has plastered the city centre of Erfurt with eye-catching posters of a jet soaring through a clear blue sky, conjuring up many Germans’ dream of a tropical holiday. Only the tagline reveals a darker message: “Summer, Sun, Remigration.”
As it campaigns for votes in its east German heartland, the AfD has long since embraced the slogan that last winter sent hundreds of thousands of Germans on to the streets in protest against revelations of a rightwing “master plan” to deport unwanted foreigners and citizens alike.
Continue reading...German chancellor pledges tougher weapons laws in wake of Solingen attack
Olaf Scholz also promises swifter enforcement of deportation rules after three killed in last week’s rampage
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has promised tougher weapons laws and swifter enforcement of deportation rules in response to the deadly mass stabbing in the western city of Solingen, as the far right seized on public outrage in the run-up to key state elections.
Scholz laid a single white rose at the scene of Friday night’s rampage claimed by the Islamic State group in which a Syrian asylum seeker is alleged to have killed three and injured eight people attending a street festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary.
Continue reading...Israeli security chief condemns ‘terrorism’ of militant settlers
Ronen Bar sparks row with letter to Netanyahu about actions of ‘hilltop youth’ being a ‘large stain on Judaism’
The head of Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, has warned the country’s leaders that Jewish terrorism in the West Bank is out of control and has become a serious threat to national security.
Ronen Bar issued the warning in a letter to the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the attorney general and members of the Israeli cabinet, some of whom are outspoken backers of the extremist settlers responsible for the escalating violence.
Continue reading...Northern Irish first minister condemns mosque attack and other violence
Michelle O’Neill and deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly call unrest in Co Down and Derry ‘disgraceful’
Northern Ireland’s first minister and deputy first minister have condemned a racist attack on a mosque in County Down and last night’s violence in Derry.
The mosque was attacked at about 1am on Saturday, when graffiti was sprayed on the front door and walls of the building in Greenwell Street.
Continue reading...UK riots expose double standards on far-right and Islamist violence
Severe cases of far-right violence need to be recognised as terrorism and not ‘thuggery’, write Rusi researchers
The recent riots in the UK, sparked by the Southport stabbings, have exposed troubling double standards in how society perceives and responds to far-right violence compared to Islamist extremism. This disparity calls for a serious redefinition of how we address far-right extremism, recognising it as the grave threat it truly represents.
Far-right motivated violence is often classified as mere “thuggery” or hooliganism, while similar acts motivated by Islamist extremism would is likely to be swiftly labeled as terrorism. This inconsistency undermines the perceived severity of far-right threats and hinders the political will to take equivalent action.
Emily Winterbotham, Claudia Wallner and Jessica White are researchers at the Royal United Services Institute.
Continue reading...‘Two-tier’: UK treats far-right attacks less harshly than Islamist violence, says thinktank
Exclusive: Defence thinktank Rusi says rightwing violence ‘often classified as mere thuggery’ by politicians and prosecutors
The UK has a “two-tier approach” to extremism that fails to treat far-right attacks as seriously as Islamist ones, a leading thinktank has said.
The Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) says rightwing violence “is often classified as mere thuggery” by politicians, prosecutors and the security services. Equivalent acts by Islamists would “swiftly be labelled as terrorism”, it says in an article in the Guardian.
Continue reading...Video doorbells, CCTV, facial recognition: how the police tracked UK rioters
Using an array of technology and intelligence tools, police are hopeful of tracking down key perpetrators, even those who were masked
The hunt to find the rioters and the people who incited them began the moment the first brick was thrown. But the efforts to catch them will last weeks or months, and involve super-recognisers, specialist software, video doorbells and, in a few cases, criminal stupidity.
A dizzying number of newly convicted rioters and online agitators were this weekend waking up in a prison cell on the first day of their sentence. Of the more than 700 arrests made so far, about 300 people had been charged by Friday night, with more arrests and court appearances on Saturday.
Continue reading...King Charles sends ‘heartfelt thanks’ to police for restoring order after riots
The monarch held calls with Keir Starmer and senior officers and paid tribute to the emergency services
King Charles has sent his “heartfelt thanks” to the police for restoring order after speaking to Keir Starmer and senior officers following the week of unrest across the UK.
The king and the prime minister held a phone call on Friday evening, Buckingham Palace said. Gavin Stephens, a chief constable and chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and the UK gold commander Ben Harrington, chief constable of Essex police, held a separate joint call with the king.
Continue reading...Anti-racism activist in London reports break-in attempt after far-right threats
Ulrike Schmidt says police have not investigated incident in Walthamstow, which was interrupted by passersby
A key organiser of Walthamstow’s mass anti-racism rally on Wednesday has said someone tried to break into her home after she received threats on social media from the far right.
Ulrike Schmidt, an activist with Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) and Amnesty International, said she woke up at 5am on Friday to the sounds of someone trying to break into her home in the north-east London borough.
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