Germany: Anti-far right protests spread to rural areas

The community center in the town of Eitorf in western Germany was the site of a confrontation between the far-right populist Alternative for Germany party (AfD) and its opponents this week: An AfD member of parliament and his supporters faced off with protesters afraid that fascism is making a comeback.  

Ayfer Evmez saw it all unfold outside her office window. She had put out cakes and pastries for the demonstrators. Evmez runs a care service for the elderly and sick in Eitorf. She came to Germany as an infant; now she's 48 years old and has 60 employees from more than a dozen nations.

That evening, AfD lawmakers and several dozen supporters talked about what they call "remigration," expelling millions of people with immigrant backgrounds from Germany. Evmez finds the concept depressing — and unreasonable. "We already have difficulties finding staff. And most of the people we have are from immigrant backgrounds. If they were all to disappear, the whole system would collapse. That's not good for our country," she said. 

Cross-party demonstration

Evmez was happy to see the growing crowd of anti-far-right protesters outside her window that evening.

They were carrying colorful strings of lights or flags from left-wing groups and all political parties including the conservative Christian Democrats.

But none of them managed to come over and taste the pastries she'd prepared for them, because a group of about ten AfD supporters set themselves up outside her window, holding up a banner. In front of them was a line of helmeted police officers, keeping the crowd back. 

A bearded man waving a black flag said he'd come from a rural area the far right is strong. "We want to send a very clear signal against the AfD," he said. He had been demonstrating against right-wing extremists in the 1990s when they were gaining strength. "This is not new for me," he said. "But now I have the impression that even complacent middle-class people are realizing that they have to stand up." 

Alexander Leistner, a political scientist at the University of Leipzig, confirms this impression. In a telephone interview, he told DW that the AfD's success in the polls has alarmed many people.

When the Correctiv media platform published an investigative report on a clandestine meeting of AfD politicians and right-wing extremists in a villa near Potsdam, to discuss plans for the expulsion of millions of people from Germany many people woke up to the facts. "That crossed a line. Many people realized that they had to say, 'We think this is dangerous,'" Leistner said.

The demonstrations initially took place mainly in bigger cities, but now, political scientist Leistner said, they've filtered down to smaller towns and communities. "The protesters include families and older people. Some say that they have been demonstrating for years, some have never done it before," he observed.

Leistner expects the demonstrations to die down at some point. "But new alliances are emerging, especially in the states where elections are coming up, including Thuringia." He points to the grassroots initiative "Grannies Against the Right", which often organizes in smaller towns. 

One of them is 63-years-old Christa Kurtidis who has lived in Eitorf for five decades. "I'm afraid that my family would have to leave if the AfD came to power. We are dual nationals with Greek and German citizenship. We weren't born here. That gives me goosebumps. I have no friends or relatives in Greece. Eitorf is my home," she said.

An estimated 3,000 demonstrators took place in a march through Eitorf that evening, braving the rain and low temperatures. Mayor Rainer Viehof, who's not aligned with any party, was there too. He told DW he granted permission for the AfD event in the community center based on the principle of equal treatment for political parties. But he added, "As mayor, I'm glad that Eitorf is standing up and clearly opposing this. I am delighted that all these people have come to make their voices heard against fascism and against the AfD." 

AfD on the defensive

AfD politician Roger Beckamp is Eitorf's representative in the federal legislature. He tried to address the anti-AfD protesters but was drowned out by the crowd.

Inside the community center, Beckamp told DW that his party is a victim of the established media." This media outrage that we have right now over this Potsdam story is staged," he said and continued: "It's not good, because it's being presented in such a distorted way and all the media are jumping on it." He called the reports that the AfD wants to deport millions of German nationals with an immigrant background "complete nonsense. No one ever said that." Nevertheless, the Correctiv reporting has made the term "remigration" part of public discourse — which the AfD sees as a victory. "We would never have managed to get it into the public consciousness as much as this media campaign has done,"  Beckamp said.

When both the AfD supporters and counter-demonstrators moved on from her window, Ayfer Evmez took a deep breath. "That was a bit scary," she said, but she also thought it was good that the protesters were so loud that the AfD couldn't get its message out.

Meanwhile, her company's diverse nursing staff has been working, driving around the country to care for people. "We're on the late shift. People have to be put to bed in the evening, diabetics have to get their insulin injections," Evmez explained, and added that she's grateful for each of her employees, no matter where they come from. 

This article was originally written in German.

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