Is there a Nazi revival in Germany? That was the question people were agonising over after the country's far-right political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), won elections for the first time recently.
Late last month, the AfD won the post of district administrator in Sonneberg, population about 22,000 and, until now, best known as the home of the German Toy Museum. The second AfD victory in early July had the party installing a new mayor in the even smaller town of Raguhn-Jessnitz, population about 8000.
It's not just the fact that the new Sonneberg district administrator now answers to the AfD's Björn Höcke that perturbs Germans. Höcke is so close to being an actual Nazi that a local reporter once asked whether he'd come up with certain statements in his book himself or whether he was quoting Adolf Hitler.
This story is from the July 15 - 21 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the July 15 - 21 2023 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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