In the nearly 80 years since the end of the Holocaust, Germany has strived to confront and triumph over its Nazi history, clearly acknowledging Nazi crimes and commemorating the victims, adopting strict legislation against anti-Semitism and hate speech, and adopting a leading global refugee policy.
But over the past decade, Germany has faced a rising wave of far-right violence and conspiracies against Jews, Muslims, immigrants and politicians. And as the election approaches, a far-right party now appears more ascendant than at any time since World War II.
Amid accusations that the AfD (Alternative for Germany) party provoked violence, Germany’s Enemy Within, a new FRONTLINE documentary premiering July 30, investigates the intersection of the AfD and far-right extremism in Germany. current.
“This is precisely a scenario that we never imagined would happen after what we learned between 1933 and 1945,” Stephan Kramer, head of internal intelligence for the German state of Thuringia, told FRONTLINE. “And here we are. “
Enemy Within Germany is the latest documentary from correspondent, reporter, producer and director Evan Williams, who has covered the far right in Europe for more than a decade, adding in 2021 Neo-Nazis and the Far Right in GermanyArray From an attempted bloodbath of faithful at From a synagogue on Yom Kippur to a mass shooting against Muslims, to the murder of a pro-refugee politician and a plot to violently overthrow the German government, the new documentary investigates extremist attacks and plots. It also examines the situation of the AfD in Germany, especially in Thuringia, where the party is classified as extremist and is monitored through the German intelligence services, and where AfD politician Björn Höcke is at the same time on the verge of a possible electoral victory.
“The AfD is a party in which many members and officials spread hatred and incitement against minorities of all backgrounds,” explains Thomas Haldenwang, Germany’s director general of internal intelligence, explaining why the AfD is classified as extremist in Thuringia and as a suspected extremist. party at the national level. ” The political arm of right-wing extremism is becoming increasingly potent. The New Right, as we call it, ostensibly distances itself from violence, but it is the underlying ideology of right-wing extremists of all persuasions. “
The documentary includes a rare interview with Höcke, who was convicted of a banned Nazi slogan and whose language about minorities is reminiscent of Germany’s darkest days. Höcke has continually rejected the accusation that the AfD is extremist or fuels violence, calling the Nazi era horrific. and accused the intelligence services of seeking to suppress valid opposition. He tells FRONTLINE that right-wing extremism in Germany “compared to all our other problems, is a very small problem. “
“In Germany we have, above all, the challenge of government extremism, of a government that needs to destroy its opposition. With a government that applies policies opposite to those of its other towns, because it needs to ‘multiculturalize’ its other towns with millions of illegal immigrants,” Höcke told FRONTLINE.
The German newspaper Enemy Within examines how this anti-immigration rhetoric has taken hold in Germany, accusations that it has fuelled attacks, and how, if Höcke and the AfD do prevail in Thuringia, it would be the first time a far-right has come into force. He had controlled a German state since the Nazis.
For others like Armin Kurtović, this prospect is terrifying. Kurtović’s son, Hamza, among nine other people of immigrant origin who were shot dead by a far-right gunman in the city of Hanau. The shooter watches videos of a far-right event Höcke speaks at the day before the 2020 attack.
“They make targets of other absolutely general people who paint and lead general lives,” Kurtović tells FRONTLINE. “All I need is for something to change, not just for me. Nothing will bring my son back, but I have three other children. There are millions of other children. Does this have to happen again?”
Enemy Within on Germany will be available in full on pbs. org/frontline and the PBS app starting July 30, 2024 at 7/6c. It will premiere on PBS stations (check local listings) and on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel on 10/9c and will also be available on PBS Documentaries’ Prime Video channel. The documentary is distributed worldwide through PBS International. Sign up for the FRONTLINE newsletter to get updates on events, podcast episodes, and much more similar to Enemy Within in Germany.
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