Zeeham Shalaby and her 16-year-old daughter, Eva, are working hard to integrate into German society. Not only are they fluent in German, but Ms. Shalaby has also become a teaching assistant through study, and Eva is about to complete her studies. Despite this, there are still Germans who want them to leave the country, highlighting the challenges immigrants face even when making significant efforts to assimilate.
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02-23, 2025Ms. Shalaby told the media: "I am trying to settle down here, not to eventually be driven out of this country. It is truly sad if a political party really has a strategy to get rid of us." She expressed her concerns about the future and hopes to obtain German citizenship to gain a sense of security, reflecting the desire for stability among immigrants.
The far-right German party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) has risen sharply in recent years, winning a large number of votes with its anti-establishment stance, surprising many. The party maintained the second-highest approval rating before this German election and vigorously promoted its "repatriation" policy, which involves sending immigrants back to their countries of origin, underscoring its hardline stance on immigration.
The mother and daughter fled war-torn Syria to Germany in 2017 and have been working hard to live in Thuringia. Ms. Shalaby said that she chose to come to Germany because then-Chancellor Merkel opened the borders, and she wanted to give Eva a stable home. She said: "I had to find a place where I could settle down with my daughter and let her see the future. I didn't want to stay in a place where I wasn't sure if I would get a visa in two years, so we decided to come here," emphasizing her need for a secure future for her daughter.
However, the mother and daughter find themselves at the center of a fierce and divisive election campaign defined by immigration issues. After a series of attacks in Germany carried out by asylum seekers, AfD's tough anti-immigration stance has gained the support of more voters. The party used these tragic events for political hype, including two car ramming and stabbing attacks that killed 11 people and injured hundreds. Eva feels that all immigrants are therefore lumped together, and she is now very worried about her future. She said: "I'm very scared. Just the idea of starting over is like I'm going to abandon all my past. Everything I've fought for. I grew up here and lived here longer than anywhere else... I feel like this is my home," revealing the emotional toll of potential displacement.
AfD has made Thuringia a stronghold. In the state's last election, voters helped the party win more votes than any other party. This is the first time since World War II that a far-right party has achieved such great electoral success, thanks to the support of an increasing number of young voters. On the eve of the German federal election, AfD held a campaign launch in Thuringia, and 22-year-olds Leonardo Lekhi and Carolin Lichtenheld were also in the crowd. As members of a youth group associated with the far-right party, they are followers of this movement, demonstrating the party's growing influence among young people.
Ms. Lichtenheld believes that the cases of all immigrants should now be reviewed, including those like Ms. Shalaby and Eva who claim to have integrated into German society. She said that Syria has now been declared a safe country, at least in some areas. "Of course, you have to look at which region of Syria she comes from. But basically, these decisions will now be reviewed, simply because millions of people have come to this country, and we are not a country of immigration," she said. "Ultimately, we must represent the interests of the German people, that is, those Germans who were born here. Yes, unfortunately, sometimes decisions must be made that may hurt individuals. But in the end, what matters most is the big picture - the German people - and we must represent them," highlighting the party's prioritization of native-born citizens over immigrants.
Mr. Lekhi agreed with this view and recounted his experience of being attacked last year by three people he believed to be Afghans. "They kicked me in the head. I still have scars here. My cheekbone was broken, and things like that happen suddenly," Mr. Lekhi said. "There are some places you can't go to at night anymore. In those places, there are no rules that you can follow to know and be able to guarantee that nothing will happen there, especially as a woman," suggesting a rise in crime and insecurity attributed to immigrants.
AfD is able to attract voters not only because of its anti-immigration stance. The party also focuses on distancing itself from existing parties, just as Donald Trump successfully did in the United States. Cornelius Adebahr, interim director of the think tank ISD Global Germany, told the media that the party gives the impression of being "approachable." "They are ordinary people. They speak plain language. They don't give the impression of being very elite, they don't have an academic background, and they don't use today's jargon," Adebahr said. "They portray themselves as very close to the people," explaining the party's populist appeal.
Mr. Adebahr conducts political analysis of the far right and has been following its rise in recent years, which he finds worrying. He said he has received death threats because of his work. "Right-wing extremist crime is on the rise. People are being harassed and persecuted. In Germany, there are areas where people of color are reluctant to enter out of concern for their health and safety," he said. "What we are seeing is a shift towards more hatred, more extreme positions, which we have not seen before. And the danger is that, regardless of whether the discussion shifts, it enters areas that our constitutional guarantees no longer cover," expressing concerns about the erosion of fundamental rights and increasing extremism.
Doreen Denstadt, who grew up in East Germany and was the only black girl in her city, knows what it feels like to be afraid to go out. She said: "I was born in 1977 in the German Democratic Republic, which was a challenging time because I was the only black child around." She experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall and witnessed the opening of the Eastern world to other regions. This was followed by immigration. "With the fall of the Berlin Wall, there was the so-called 'baseball bat era,' and violence followed, and right-wing parties and right-wing violence rose to the point where I was afraid to walk around," she said. "There were some places that were unsafe for me," highlighting the historical context of racial tensions in Germany.
The former police officer was the Minister of Immigration for the Left Green Party in Thuringia until she lost her seat last year when AfD won a landslide victory in the state election. She said: "I think a small group of people don't want immigrants to come here, and they are very noisy. They are very noisy and very well connected, especially on social media." "Maybe they just want to spread fear, make people angry, or they just think it's fun, and if you want to unite people, fighting this narrative is the most challenging thing. It's easier to point to someone than to think about the complexity of the whole problem. Our environment is changing, our world is changing, our society is changing, so many people are tired," explaining the challenges of countering anti-immigrant sentiment.
She believes that anti-immigrant sentiment has risen in recent years, becoming a "simple solution" to complex problems. She said: "I don't think people's ideas have changed; it's just easier for people to talk about it. It's easier now to say 'I don't want this'... Before 2015, people would ask 'What are you talking about?' Now, they just let them scream and oppose immigration," suggesting that the shift is not necessarily a change in beliefs, but rather a greater willingness to express anti-immigrant views publicly.
Germany will hold a general election on February 23 to decide who will lead their next government. The election was brought forward after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition collapsed at the end of last year. Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, is expected to be the next German leader. While AfD is unlikely to win enough votes to govern alone, winning 20% of the vote would put it in a strong position in the election four years later, indicating the potential for future political gains.
Mr. Adebahr said: "They will be excluded from parliament in the next term, and to some extent excluded from the government. The question is, can the other parties form a government that can bring benefits to the people and let them see the benefits of sticking to democratic parties? Or... if the next government is in power again for four years, will that exacerbate the broader sense of frustration? Will we see AfD strengthen further in the next election? Then, they (AfD) may become the most powerful party, as we are seeing now in Austria," raising concerns about the potential for AfD to gain even more power in the future if the mainstream parties fail to address the concerns of the electorate.
All of this seems hypothetical until the voting results begin to be announced, but what is certain is that this election is becoming one of the most divisive in Germany, highlighting the deep divisions within German society.
