At the end of November, the right-wing extremist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) established its new youth organisation, Generation Germany, following the dissolution of its previous youth group. The prior youth organisation, the Young Alternative, maintained relatively loose ties to the party and was dissolved in March due to extremist policies and statements by several members.
However, despite AfD’s leadership seeking to demonstrate that Generation Germany has nothing to do with the dissolved extremist Young Alternative, many politicians across Germany point out that the new young branch of AfD continues on the same path as the banned youth organisation.
Support for AfD is constantly rising not only in its stronghold, the eastern German federal states, but also in the west, including conservative Bavaria. And although, on the national level, a cordon sanitaire against the extremist party may still apply, the question would be difficult in the federal states in the near future. The rise of AfD could force conservatives to partner with AfD in local coalition governments.
In Bavaria, the AfD arrived third at the 2023 elections for the 180-seat Landtag with approximately 15%. Despite the decline of Greens (14%), the Social Democratic Party (8%) and the liberals of the Free Democratic Party (FDP, 3%), the Christian Social Union (CSU), which obtained a 37%, managed to form a coalition government with the conservative Free Voters (FW – 16%), securing more that the 91 seats needed for a majority.
However, the AfD is growing, and according to opinion polls, it has come second since August. In fact, opinion polls indicate that AfD has up to 20% support, while FW has 10%. Although CSU remains high in preferences at 39-40%, the rise of AfD to second place will create an unprecedented situation in Bavaria, with effects on the CSU as well.
The creation of Generation Germany less than a month ago facilitates the rise of AfD and its daily propaganda, which is mainly based on the spread of fake news and general disinformation.
“The re-establishment of the AfD youth organisation is nothing other than old mustiness under supposedly new garb,” warns Martin Huber, CSU General Secretary and Member of the Bavarian State Parliament, in a post on X.
Huber highlighted that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring the candidate for the AfD’s Bavarian state chairmanship of its youth organisation. He depicted the future leader of Generation Germany as inexperienced and backwards-looking all the way back to the darkest era of German history.
“The AfD is ruining Germany,” wrote CSU General Secretary. “It wants to destroy everything that this country stands for and plunge it into chaos.”
He added that “Whoever, like the AfD, wants to leave NATO, abolish the euro and roll out the red carpet for the Russians is not making policy for the young generation, but betraying their future. We will not leave our youth to the enemies of the constitution, but with our policy for all generations ensure that young people in this country have a chance and can live in freedom.”
