a.f.d. party is counting on coal to deliver them big gains in an upcoming state election look at how the a.f.p. is fighting to keep the coal industry alive and underdogs despite government plans to shut it down. thanks. i'm sumi so much kind of thank you for joining us and a year when places of worship across the globe seem to have become particular targets of terrorist attacks the world's biggest interfaith assembly is meeting in southern germany at the world assembly of religions for peace $900.00 representatives of many religions are debating their responsibilities in society and in politics there is a special emphasis on the role of women and bringing about peace a german president fun but are delivered a keynote address one of the topics delegates are discussing is. how to protect places of worship at a time when attacks on such sites appear to be on the rise. disbelief in christ church new zealand. it's march 29000 and a white supremacist has just shot dead 51 people in consecutive attacks a

these divisions which have driven so many voices in saxony to the far right alternative for germany party a.f.d. that currently polling in 2nd position such a result would be felt even at federal level signaling a decrease in power of angela merkel's fragile coalition government in keeping with party tradition sex in his conservative state premier refused to mention the a.f.d. by name you know this week that we have to take a clear position against those who talk down everything those who turn to appreciate our liberal democrats or gordon that we have posed this resolutely and should not indeed despite their expected losses at the polls on sunday the c.d.u. is still set to come out on top but continue in a coalition with the s.p.d. is looking unlikely. but the drama here in saxony could well now take place in the weeks after sunday's election when angela merkel's conservatives here in saxony might want to get creative with that coalition building with maybe even 2 or 3 other parties as we shall catch mass exodus. her and say her man has ruled out forming a coalition with the far right am i the

a.f.d. party leader alexander galland made an announcement he thrives on polarizing communities stephan kubicki also knows how to score points with this crowd. the funniest question was what do i think of the climate activist great atoning bag i was taken aback so i answered i drive a v.a. with 388 horse power so i still have to answer this question. but the party chief gets even more applause added i'm a down gentleman if the f.d.a. governs brandenberg we will patrol our borders again. when. we have even dear friends even if that means things get ugly many voters say gellman's unvarnished frankness compliments stephan qubits he's more amiable style . this year for mr tibbetts king talks so much like ordinary people other politicians use more of a parliamentary language but he talks like the workers in the power plant and of course people really like it. the a.f.d. can do what it wants in eastern germany at least it's set to become the party of the people. or is it the party of the people do their

they're worried because germany has decided to phase out coal fired power plant germany's far right a.f.d. party is tapping into this fear. local a.f.d. candidates deafened could be tricky who currently works in a power plant himself says other parties have no plan for one coal mining is history. and it's me what kind of a crane do we need. what sort was it again was. works as a technician in the local coal power plant. lately he's been concentrating on a political career. he's hoping to win a seat in the upcoming brandenburg state elections. 10 years ago i would never have dreamt of going into politics and being involved in such things so i could have chosen to spend my time fishing or walking the dog or going to lead an easy life or being a member of the a.f.p. that makes things difficult because people are hostile towards the party and you're frightened of. but it's the a.f.p. that's known for inciting hostility on this stage could be campaigning for the a.f.p. in a small rural constituency the turnout is much higher than expected. a.f.d. politician quite frequently oh and party co-leader ale

that silence is expected to benefit one party the most the a.f.d. saxony is the right wing populist stronghold so they've also put up a stand down town the a.f.p. candidate he tells nick it's the foreigners not the neo nazis who are the problem. hello i'm nick. you know my neck i'm steffen i'm running for parliament. i thought well because kim i come from chemists was born and raised here what 3 main statements does the f.t. have for cabinets these are for caymans of disposable the biggest problem here in the city is with immigration and that's a given you hear it from every citizen and they're also unsettled because we're simply not used to that. type of life from east german times yes historically but but we had vietnamese cubans etc before can you write i know and that was good. but at the time they were in principle people who came here for professional training and then they went back home and took those skills with them and we have to look after our own people 1st and those it worked and paid taxes here for years and from what i'm. doing the d

it may be a state election but it's attracting interest across germany the right wing populist a.f.d. party hoax.

it may be a state election but it's attracting interest across germany the right wing populist a.f.d. party hopes to come out the big winner saxony must decide which direction it plans to take and so does nick at c.s.k. . nick has been doing martial arts since he was 8 years old he specialized in m.m.a. all mixed martial arts. martial arts has probably contributed greatly to my self-image it's given me a lot of self-confidence in dicey situations where you're inclined to panic or the adrenaline starts pumping. the panic or should i say that doesn't happen so much now because i just know.

germany's far right a.f.d. party is tapping into this fear. of local a.f.d. candidates deafened could be its king who currently works in a power plant himself says other parties have no plans for one coal mining is history. and it's me what kind of a crane do we need or what sort was it again. could it works as a technician in the local coal power plant. lately he's been concentrating on a political career. he's hoping to win a seat in the upcoming brandenburg state elections. it could come out 10 years ago i would never have dreamt of going into politics and being involved in such things so i could have chosen to spend my time fishing or walking the dog or going to lead an easy life or being a member of the a.f.p. that makes things difficult because people are hostile towards the partner for and of. but it's the a.f.p. that's known for inciting hostility on this stage could be its key is campaigning for the a.f.p. in a small rural constituency the turnout is much higher than expected. a.f.d. politician quite frequently oh and party co-leader alexander gallant

a.f.d. party leader alexander gallons made an announcement he thrives on polarizing communities stephanie also knows how to score points with this crowd. the funniest question was what do i think of the climate activist great to turn back i was taken aback so i answered by dr levy with 388 horsepower do i still have to answer this question. but the party chief gets even more applause. ladies and gentlemen if the f.d.a. governs branden org we will patrol our borders again. even dear friends even if that means things get ugly many voters say gellman's unvarnished frankness compliments steffen could be more amiable style. for mr corbett so you talk so much like ordinary people other politicians use more of a parliamentary language but he talks like the workers in the power plant and of course people really like it. can do what it wants in eastern germany at least it's set to become the party of the people. and with elections coming up in the region and let's find out more. and it to me is with me got

could see a far right party make big gains opinion polls put the alternative for germany or the a.f.d. party tied for the lead in the state of brandenburg which is just outside of berlin and they put the party in 2nd place in neighboring saxony. you traveled to the city of candidates in saxony the scene of far right rioting following the fatal stabbing of a german man by an asylum seeker last year. election campaigns are in full swing encampments there is parties are hoping to win over undecided voters people like nick kids hirschi he's 28 years old a sports trainer and a martial arts enthusiastic. moment haven't decided yet which party old vote for in the regional elections. with their anti immigrant slogans the right wing populist party a f d is gaining popularity. make wants to hear what candidates have to say. in the nick my name is nick i was born here and was raised here what are the 3 main things that the f.t. wants for 10 minutes of these if it came it's just possible play and. the problem with migrants in this city is clear you hear it from everybody. and they're concerned of course

it may be a state election but it's attracting interest across germany the right wing populist a.f.d. party hopes to come out the big winner saxony must decide which direction it plans to take and so does nick at c.s.k. . nick has been doing martial arts since he was 8 years old he specialized in m.m.a. for mixed martial arts. cultural martial arts has probably contributed greatly to my self-image it's given me a lot of self-confidence in dicey situations where you're inclined to panic or the adrenaline starts pumping. the panic or that doesn't happen so much now because i just know the situation better. can't. we can't see eskies 28 years old 5 years ago he opened his own martial arts studio he knows the german m.m.a. scene well and he says it's closely connected to the neo nazi scene especially in eastern germany. help i'm sure the worst case i've experienced was at a competition and where people always booed the foreigners during the finals the crowd chanted who nara short for the right wing group hooligans nazis racists. this video is an ad for the well known right wing m.m.a. event cam

it may be a state election but it's attracting interest across germany the right wing populist a.f.d. party hopes to come out the big winner saxony must decide which direction it plans to take and so does nick at c.s.k. . nick has been doing martial arts since he was 8 years old he specialized in m.m.a. all mixed martial arts. martial arts has probably contributed greatly to my self image it's given me a lot of self-confidence in dicey situations where you're inclined to panic or the adrenaline starts pumping. the panic or should i that doesn't happen so much now because i just know the situation better if i can't. nick can't c.s.k. is 28 years old 5 years ago he opened his own national art studio he knows the german m.m.a. scene well and he says it's closely connected to the neo nazi saying especially in eastern germany. help i'm sure the worst case i've experienced was at a competition in soko where people always booed the foreigners during the finals the crowd chanted who rock short for the right wing group hooligans nazis racists. this video is an ad for the well known right wing m.m.a.

also coming up voters go to the polls in shoot pistone german states on sunday but the far right a.f.d. party expected to make big gains.

germany's far right political party the a.f.d. or alternative for germany's expected to school big gains into a state elections coming up on sunday in saxony the f.t. is polling just speak heinz the center right c.d.u. the party of angle americal and things look even worse for the governing party in brandenburg the social democrats and we'll talk to our correspondent in a moment but 1st this report on the political landscape in the key states of saxony in brandenburg. 2 eastern german states are going to the polls and the federal government is holding its breath as the surge of the far right populist a.f.d.c. could really shake things up saxony dresden is the capital germany's eastern most state has about $4000000.00 residents and is doing rather well economically with the auto industry and high tech but saxony has also developed a thriving right wing scene a year ago right wing extremists occupied the streets of chemists for days violent crime motivated by right wing extremism is that a record high. saxony is governed by a grand c

even so other parties have been losing ground to the a.f.d. but not the environmentalist greens they've won supporters on the issue of the climate crisis and say they don't know why eastern germans vote for the far right. people are doing well and that's why they're willing to do ridiculous experiments we have 3 percent unemployment and our district is at the top compared with others . but when it comes to the f.d.a. they act crazy and take risks. with us he kind of. d. has nothing to offer and they don't contribute to solving any problems at all he said they just make vulgar complaints about their discontent. this is member harkness. this evening another drawn out complaint. k.f.t. party leader alexander gallons made an announcement he thrives on polarizing communities stephan kubicki also knows how to score points with this crowd. the funniest question was what do i think of the climate activist great to turn back a white guy was taken aback so i answered i drive a v 8 with 388 horsepower do i still have to answer this question. but the part

state of saxony ahead of state elections that next weekend the far right alternative for germany party or a.f.d. is poised to win big at the expense of big tent parties like i'm going to merkel's christian right scris teen democrats which currently had the state government the outcome of the elections could further destabilize politics at the national level. c with all eyes turning to section 8 this is what many here wanted to see droves of people from both in and out of state converging on dresden the section capital a demonstration against racism and the far right president has long been a flashpoint right get it politics your 2nd world war my mom died the city killing tens of thousands of civilians are writing me a massacre to see some recent rally it was here against residents and doesn't think that his mom a big nationalist party it was mounted it's here last saturday to get the chance i might bring the german 1st but at the. president. that's why groups from across german civil society and the political spectrum descended on dresden to show there's more to saxony than racism populism and

political attitudes in the east what did you mean by that and does that mean you see this far right party the a.f.d. as a north or a terry and party. yes i'd like to go to court you said because to say that democracy didn't deliver is simply wrong of course we delivered we live democracy itself we delivered freedom of speech we delivered freedom of movement we delivered freedom of expression we delivered a party democracy apart which works as proved by the fact that the f.t. and the old left are allowed to take part in parliamentary elections the whole point if i make my if i say oh i'm for democracy as long as i'm as as i'm ok as long as the as the economy is ok then i'm not a democrat and that's the trouble with the with the germans generally in 933 when when in 13233 when economy went downhill the americans voted franklin d. roosevelt and the germans were voted hitler and now after. from 33 to 89. east germany was under. the fascist then communist rule they didn't know anything about democracy they never learned about democracy they weren't taught about democracy and now they're revolting agains

political attitudes in the east what did you mean by that and does that mean you see this far right party the a.f.d. as a north or a terry in party. yes i'd like to go to court you said because to say that democracy didn't deliver is simply wrong of course we delivered we live democracy itself we delivered freedom of speech we delivered freedom of movement we delivered freedom of expression we delivered a party democracy apart which works as proved by the fact that the f.t. and the old left are allowed to take part in parliamentary elections the whole point if i make my if i say oh i'm for democracy as long as i'm as as i'm ok as long as the as as as the economy is ok then i'm not a democrat and that's the trouble with that with the germans generally in 933 when when in 13233 when economy went downhill the americans voted franklin d. roosevelt and the germans were voted hitler and now after. from 33 to 89. east germany was under. the under fascist and communist rule they didn't know anything about democracy they never learned about democracy they weren't taught about democracy and now they're revol

hours a day so that the far right populist don't become the most powerful party here just like the coffee or the s.p.d. and the a.f.d. are neck and neck in brandenburg but the far right populists are unlikely to take power none of the other parties wants to join a coalition with them for years the i have to has benefitted from feelings of insecurity and of being neglected in the east it has taken on the slogans of the civil rights movement in former communist east germany berlin grand coalition partners the c.d.u. and the s.p.d. especially are looking to the state elections with apprehension. the s.p.d. is suffering from dwindling support and membership and the c.d.u. is no longer getting through to their core voters in the east not a good sign for angela merkel's grand coalition. the likely winners of the state elections apart from the f.t. will be the greens their forecast to get record results in both saxony and brandenburg. or they'll use chief political adviser become a curfew has been brandenburg dating the mood in the small city of koenig's best the house on the final day of campaigning. the latest poll sugge

political attitudes in the east what did you mean by that and does that mean you see this far right party the a.f.d. as a north or a terry in party. yes i'd like to go to court you said because to say that democracy didn't deliver is simply wrong of course we delivered you live democracy itself we delivered freedom of speech we delivered freedom of movement we delivered freedom of expression we delivered a party democracy apart which works as proved by the fact that the f.t. and the old left are allowed to take part in parliamentary elections the whole point if i make my if i say oh i'm for democracy as long as i'm as as i'm ok as long as the as as as economy is ok then i'm not a democrat and that's the trouble with that with the germans generally in 933 net when when in 13233 when economy went downhill the americans voted franklin d. roosevelt and the germans were voted hitler and now after. from 33 to 89. east germany was under. the under fascist and communist rule they didn't know anything about democracy they never learned about democracy they weren't taught about democracy and now they're revo

none of f the other parties wan to join a coalition with them. for years, the a.f.d. benefited and feeling neglected in the east. it has taken on the slogan of civil rights movement. berlin, grand coalition parartns are looking to the state elections with apprehension sm the s.p.d. isis suffering from dwindling support t and and c.d. isn't getting through to their core voters in the east. not a great sign for angela merkel's grand coalition. the greens, they are forecast to get record results in saxony and brandenburg. anchor: we have been in the state gauging the mood on the final day of campaign. reporter: latest polls suggest it will be either a triumph or a victory for the far right for the a.f.d. if it manages to beat the social democrat party which has been in government here since reunification. a victory is anywhere near what is being predicted around about 20%. it makes it hard to form a coalition and could have ripple effect for the s.p.d. in berlin. and if it suffers another nervous breakdown because of bad election results, that coalition and her final ter

a.f.d. politician quite frequently oh and party co-leader alexander guidelines are in attendance they know just what people want to hear. different north our own culture is vanishing in public life every day that will science make us feel home and it's disappearing refugee shows as oh you're not next door we see women in veils and more emotion. and hardly anyone speaks german on public transport any more that's why germany's fate lies in the hands of a.s.d. voters. matter not much damage ladies and gentlemen if the f.t. gets into power we will resume control of our borders. most difficult it also knows how to win over locals. bards is the funniest question i was asked was what i think of climate activist credit when berg i was outraged and then i simply said i drive a 5.5 liter v 8 with 388 horsepower so can we just get this question. thank you thank you a f the politicians from berlin together with stephan could have a strong influence on these voters. by. the president talks like an ordinary guy . they have their own a parliamentary way of speaking. but convinced he talks like a normal guy wh

that silence is expected to benefit one party the most the a.f.d. saxony is the right wing populist stronghold so they've also put up a stand down town the f.t. candidate he tells nick it's the foreigners not the neo nazis who are the problem. hello i'm nick. you know my neck i'm stephanie i'm running for parliament. i thought how come it was kim i come from chemists was born and raised here what 3 main statements does the f.t. have for cam that these if you came into the causal the biggest problem here in the city is with immigration and that's a given you hear it from every citizen and they're also unsettled because we're simply not used to that. life from east german times yes historically but but we had vietnamese cubans etc before you can even write i know and that was good . but at the time there were in principle people who came here for professional training and then they went back home and took those skills with them and we have to look after our own people 1st and those of worked and paid taxes here 3 years on from what it only showed them

7 to 9 percent so those 2 current governing big tent parties could actually be very lucky if they make even just 40 percent combined whereas the a.f.d. the fall right alternative for germany party of currently looking at getting around 24 to 26 percent of the votes there in saxony ok now head of the elections coming up both of these elections leaders of the right wing inside the c.d.u. said it was time to start talking with the if he instead of marginalizing them as has been the case so for now with big games expected in saxony and in brandenburg we'll see to you recalibrate how it approaches the f.t. i think the national level it's very unlikely that we're going to see that happen of course there have been some hostilities very open hostilities at least at national level between the cd the conservative c.d.u. and the far right a f t but like all of the other parties in saxony macro's c.d.u. has said that they were. joined forces with the far right after you to form a coalition so it's going to be very interesting to see exactly how coalition talks go in saxony these polls are to be correct come sunday and the f.t. comes out on top

government here since german reunification it may remain the largest party but is said to lose votes especially to the far right populist a.f.d. and state premier may struggle to put together a new coalition. i'm a democrat i'm against a minority government i've also said i won't coalesce with the f.t. or the left party for reasons of policy and personnel the rest of us will have to be able to talk to each other and be able to form a government as democrats. brandenburg potsdam is the capital the state surrounds berlin and has about 2500000 inhabitants brandenburg is also doing well economically if it weren't for the lignite problem the mining apparatus may grind to a halt soon germany plans to phase out the coal industry which many people here rely on for a livelihood in brandenburg the s.p.d. has also been in power since reunification it's currently in coalition with the left party but surveys suggest that it's unlikely that the 2 parties can continue to govern together for my work flat out for 161820 hours a day so that the far right populist don't become the most powerful party here just like the coffee the s.p.d. and the