Scholz says right-wing populists won't gain upper hand in Germany, despite far-right party's rise
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is insisting that right-wing populism won’t gain the upper hand in his country, days after a far-right party won control of a county administration for the first time since the Nazi era
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted Wednesday that right-wing populism won't gain the upper hand in his country, days after a far-right party won control of a county administration for the first time since the Nazi era.
Alternative for Germany, which has come under scrutiny from security services over its ties to extremists, won a runoff election in Sonneberg county Sunday and has been polling strongly nationwide recently.
“Germany has been a strong democracy for a long time now, since World War II,” Scholz told reporters in Berlin after being asked what he is doing to prevent a resurgence of fascism 77 years since the defeat of Adolf Hitler's Nazi dictatorship.
He said the government's task was to concentrate on ensuring that voters know they can expect a good future and that they'll get respect for their work.
Alternative for Germany has campaigned strongly against immigration, but also opposed government measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic and to tackle climate change.
“We have the phenomenon of right-wing populist parties in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany,” Scholz said. “They also exist elsewhere in the world but that doesn't mean they have to become relevant or dominant. And that won't be the case here either.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.