The New York TimesThe New York Times

As German anxieties about future rise, far right party profits

By Erika Solomon

20 Jun 2023 · 6 min read

informed Summary

  1. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is gaining popularity, with polling highs in Germany's formerly communist eastern states and increasing support in the wealthier west.

GERA, Germany — The tables were packed at the Waldhaus, a restaurant on the wooded outskirts of an east German town, as the regulars — workers shaking calloused hands, retirees clutching purses in their laps — settled in for a pub gathering of the far-right Alternative for Germany.

But the die-hards worry Germany’s political leadership less than people like Ina Radzheit. An insurance agent in a flowered blouse, she squeezed in among platters of schnitzel and frothy beers for her first visit to the AfD, the German initials by which the party is known.

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