AfD could take power in eastern German state
Far-right AfD leads polls in eastern German state, aiming to reshape culture and education policies.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is closing in on government power in an eastern German state, riding a platform of national pride and a pledge to overhaul cultural and educational policies. Regional governments in Germany hold significant authority over schooling and the arts, making the party's ambitions particularly consequential.
At a recent AfD rally, supporters waved the black, red and gold German flag, embracing a message that the country is too consumed by its Nazi past. One attendee said: "The Second World War has nothing to do with us anymore, that's gone. We have to look out for ourselves, for our times, finally becoming the German people we once were, the land of poets and thinkers."
The party has set its sights on state-funded culture. Local theatres and arts organisations, heavily dependent on public money, fear they could lose funding if the AfD follows through on its pledge to defund what it calls "anti-German art". A theatre director reacted with alarm, saying: "This is playing with Nazi propaganda. Really? Yes, I would say yes, definitely. It's unbelievable that these phrases are put again in the same stupid way as it was before."
The AfD also wants schools to spend less time on the Holocaust and Nazi era. German memory culture, a commitment to face up to the horrors of World War II, is dismissed by the party as a guilt complex. Asked whether the push for a more patriotic vision downplays the Nazi past, one party supporter replied: "It's the most normal thing in the world, in almost every country of the world, that people are proud of their own country, proud of their culture, their heritage. In this country, though, that's unfortunately not the case anymore and we want to get that back."
Polls put the AfD well ahead in the state, despite domestic intelligence classifying the party there as right-wing extremist. If the results hold, it would mark the first time the AfD has entered a state government, giving it real power over the region's culture and schools.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Domestic intelligence in Saxony-Anhalt classifies the AfD as right-wing extremist. | |
| The AfD has pledged to defund art it considers anti-German. | |
| The AfD is leading in polls in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC report focuses on the AfD's cultural agenda and its controversial relationship with German memory culture. It contrasts the party's calls for national pride with critics who see it as revisionist, and highlights the intelligence classification alongside the party's electoral lead.
- “The Second World War has nothing to do with us anymore, that's gone. We have to look out for ourselves, for our times, finally becoming the German people we once were, the land of poets and thinkers.”
- “This is playing with Nazi propaganda. Really? Yes, I would say yes, definitely. It's unbelievable that these phrases are put again in the same stupid way as it was before.”
- “It's the most normal thing in the world, in almost every country of the world, that people are proud of their own country, proud of their culture, their heritage. In this country, though, that's unfortunately not the case anymore and we want to get that back.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.