A group of eight Holocaust survivors drew parallels between the current political climate and that of Germany in the 1930s. Some of them condemned the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD).
Eight Holocaust survivors have urged young people to shun far-right parties and vote to protect democracy at the upcoming European Union elections.
“For millions of you, the European elections are the first election in your lives. For many of us, it could be the last,” read the open letter, unveiled in Berlin on Tuesday.
“We couldn’t stop it back then. But you can today,” the eight authors wrote.
AfD is far right. They are ethno-nationalists that believe only ethnic-Germans belong in Germany. A leader has defended the Nazi SS. They have discussed re-migrating German citizens out of Germany. How do you compromise with people who would like to carry out an ethnic cleansing? Only forcibly relocate Muslims for now, and wait until next year to expel the Jewry?
Most far-right politicians do not debate or operate politically in good-faith. IDK about the people who vote for them. I think it usually takes years of slow progress for people to move away from extremist positions, and it takes a change in their environment to start the process (new social circle, life experiences, media consumption habits, etc).