A leading Turkish community organisation in Germany has warned that a hardening anti-immigrant climate and a rise in far-right violence are heightening fears among migrants, particularly in the eastern states, as the far-right AfD gains ground.
Gokay Sofuoglu, chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), said on Tuesday that the deteriorating environment has moved beyond political discourse into physical threats and violence, as right-wing extremists feel encouraged by the AfD’s high polling numbers in the eastern states.
“For us, the security situation in eastern Germany is not an abstract debate — it is a matter of very real fears,” Sofuoglu said in a statement. He called on the politicians and authorities to take appropriate measures to restore a sense of safety for immigrant groups that feel increasingly targeted.
The warning comes as the AfD seeks to convert its strong poll numbers into governing power in several regions for the first time. The party is making a major push ahead of September’s state elections in Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt —two eastern states where xenophobic incidents have risen disproportionately.
Sofuoglu noted that while the national average for right-wing violent crimes stands at 51 per 100,000 inhabitants, the figures nearly triple in the east. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the rate is 145 per 100,000, while Saxony-Anhalt follows closely at 142.
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