In Germany, the AfD wants to take advantage of the anxiety and frustration of the population
An AfD supporter waves a German national flag before the far-right party's last rally for regional elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt Magdeburg, June 4, 2021. REUTERS - ANNEGRET HILSE
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1 min
Rising energy and staple food prices are threatening political stability in Germany.
This Saturday, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party hopes to mobilize tens of thousands of people in the heart of Berlin against the government, the sanctions against Russia and the high cost of living.
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With our correspondent in Berlin,
Nathalie Versieux
For months, the far-right AfD party has been trying to ride out German concerns about soaring prices and the threat of an energy shortage in the depths of winter.
Several tens of thousands of people could respond today to the call of the party which openly dreams of bringing down the government in the streets.
“
We see from different components that dissatisfaction is rising in the population, we see it in the polls for the AfD, in the results of the AfD during the elections, but we also see that they are mobilizing in the street.
The disposition to demonstrate increases... All this shows that dissatisfaction is great.
People worry about their existence, their survival.
These are themes that mobilize and that the AfD knows how to use for itself.
Clearly, times are critical in Germany
”, Thorsten Faas, political scientist at the Free University of Berlin
The AfD has come a long way.
The party created to protest against the bailouts of the euro then fell into oblivion had experienced a revival with the arrival of Syrian refugees.
The war in Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis have once again boosted the far right in Germany, especially in the east of the country, where almost one in three Germans now say they doubt democracy.
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To read also: Germany: the AfD party can be monitored, confirms the administrative justice
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