Sebastian Friedrich is an author and journalist from Hamburg.
The far-right Alternative für Deutschland came second in the European elections but fell short of expectations. Now its leadership is riven by conflicts both internal to the party and among the broader European far-right milieu.
Germany’s former Die Linke parliamentary leader Sahra Wagenknecht has founded a new party. She claims it’s a voice for the ignored middle and working classes — but the party is mainly focused on winning over Germans who’ve turned to the far right.
Ten years since its creation, the Alternative für Deutschland has established itself as a constant presence in Germany’s parliament. Now, it’s challenging the Christian Democrats — and seeking to tear down the historic barriers to the far right.
Germany’s AfD poses as a defender of the “common man,” but seeks to impose an authoritarian form of neoliberalism.