Kurdish immigrants fear growing influence of Germany’s far-right AfD

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -  Kurdish immigrants in Germany expressed growing fears about their future following a political breakthrough by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where a party member has reportedly become the speaker of the state parliament, raising concerns over the party's increasing influence.

“Fear has entered my heart,” Roshen Gargari, a Kurdish-German resident, told Rudaw's Alla Shalli, warning that the party's growing popularity could threaten immigrant communities.

Gargari, originally from northeast Syria (Rojava), has lived in Germany for 30 years and runs a restaurant with Handren Gargari in the western city of Dusseldorf.

The AfD campaigns for stricter immigration policies, tighter border controls, and openly advocates for mass deportations - including calls to deport Syrians in November 2025 - and tougher citizenship requirements. Its anti-immigration platform has raised concerns among immigrant communities about their future in Germany.

“Their system, you could say, is like Hitler's days will return again,” Roshen said. “They don't like Kurds, nor do they like foreigners. They want to reshape everything for their own benefit.”

Handren said the party's growing influence has prompted her family to consider leaving Germany, where they have built their lives over the past three decades.

“Our son is studying abroad in Ireland. I told him that if the AfD's support grows even higher here, I might leave Germany, either go to another country or, God willing, if Kurdistan is stable and rebuilt, we want to return to our homeland,” she said.

The AfD became Germany's second-largest parliamentary group in the February 2025 federal election, winning 20.8 percent of the vote, up from 10.4 percent in 2021. Its gains have intensified concerns among political opponents over the far-right party's growing influence and the future of efforts by mainstream parties to prevent cooperation with it.

German lawyer Rene Muller also expressed concern about the political implications of the AfD's growing influence.

“A parliament is the house of democracy, and having a non-democratic representative at the head of a parliament sends a bad message,” Muller said.

He warned that the party's rise could have wider consequences for German politics, particularly ahead of the 2029 federal election.

“We were just discussing the 2029 Bundestag federal election and what kind of impact that will have on federal politics. It fills one with concern,” he said.

Asked about his concerns for the future, Muller pointed to the potential erosion of democratic protections.

“Tolerance, less freedom, less protection, less democracy. I am worried about many things, but I do not believe that anything will get better because of it,” he said.

Germany's mainstream political parties have long sought to prevent the AfD from entering government through a policy commonly known as the “firewall,” under which they refuse coalitions and cooperation with the party. 

However, the policy has faced challenges as the AfD's political influence has grown.

While AfD supporters view the party's growing influence as an end to its political isolation, its opponents warn that further gains could weaken democratic institutions and threaten immigrant communities.