The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, has expressed his deep concern over the victory of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the regional elections held in Saxony-Anhalt.
"Personally, I am dismayed by the result of these elections (...). A party classified as far-right is one step away from governing alone in a German state," Schuster stated in remarks to the newspaper 'Die Welt'.
The Jewish leader emphasized that in recent years the party had made its political intentions crystal clear. "Those who voted for them today despite these objectives or precisely because of them are responsible for this result," he pointed out, directly blaming the voters for AfD's advance.
The president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, has shared this alarm and expressed her surprise at the outcome of the elections. "On days like these, I find it hard to recognize my homeland (...). That right-wing extremists could win elections in Germany again in this way is something I would never have imagined, not even in my worst nightmares," she noted.
Knobloch also emphasized the high level of participation, which stood at 80% according to official figures, a fact that, in her view, reveals a deep crisis in the democratic system. In her opinion, this percentage indicates that "the foundations of democracy in our country no longer work and I will say this frankly: that scares me."
Eva Umlauf, a survivor of the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz, has also raised her voice, establishing a parallel between AfD's success and the rise of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party in the 1930s. "This electoral result scares us! What path is Germany following? The path it has already taken?" Umlauf, who chairs the International Auschwitz Committee, posed.
Umlauf, 83 years old, emphasized that "we, as survivors of the Holocaust, would never have believed it possible" for a far-right force to become the largest in a German regional parliament. "We will continue to fight for democracy and memory. We owe it to our murdered relatives and it is our obligation to the German youth," she asserted, advocating for the active defense of the democratic system.
Protests in several German cities against AfD
At the same time as the reactions from Jewish organizations, protests have taken place this Sunday in various German cities, such as Berlin, Frankfurt, or Mainz, in rejection of AfD. In Frankfurt, about 2,000 people, according to the police count, have gathered to demand the illegalization of the party.
In Berlin, several hundred protesters have attended a rally against the far-right formation under the slogan "Let's defend democracy! Let's ban AfD now!". Behind the call are the Association of Victims of the Nazi Regime and the Federation of Antifascists, along with the initiative Ban AfD Now, which demand legal measures against the party.
Meanwhile, the police have indicated that the situation in Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt, remains "incident-free" during the night following the elections, with no significant disturbances reported.
A large demonstration is scheduled for this Monday at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, where the attendance of about 5,000 people is expected, according to police estimates, in a new display of social rejection against the advance of AfD.