New Actor: Churches Mobilize Against Afd Ahead of Elections

In Saxony-Anhalt, Catholic and Protestant leaders put their warnings about the AfD in public view. Banners on Magdeburg’s cathedral read “Love thy neighbor, dialogue, human dignity, solidarity. VOTE CONSCIOUSLY!”, while nearby churches posted “DIVERSITY IS DIVINE” and “Heart Instead of Hate.” Though more than 85 percent of residents have no religious affiliation, the churches are mounting a visible campaign as the AfD’s state branch is classified by domestic intelligence as confirmed right wing extremist.

Their push answers an AfD program that targets church life: ending state payments, stopping public authorities from collecting church tax, and making parishes permanently liable when they shelter refugees. It would also strip funding from the Protestant Academy, accusing it of climate dogma, gender ideology and a rainbow cult, even as Saxony-Anhalt has one of the lowest shares of foreign nationals in Germany. Bishop Gerhard Feige pointed to posters reading “Save your country”, “Take your country back” and “Deport from day one!” to argue the party is driven by ethnonationalism, and condemned plans to revive flag raising and anthem ceremonies in schools as practices from the Nazi era later adopted in East Germany.

Church leaders say they are defending a Christian view of humanity, not endorsing any party. Bishop Friedrich Kramer warned that a government involving the AfD would have devastating consequences, while Feige urged against downplaying the risk and called a single party AfD government a pilot project that could open a gateway to national politics. Their stance follows a 2024 Catholic bishops’ declaration that ethnic nationalism and Christianity are incompatible.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources