Going to the extreme: Inside Germany’s far right - BBC News

A BBC investigation uncovers links between opposition AfD party figures and extremist networks.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBy Jessica ParkerBBC Berlin correspondentIt is a spring evening in Germany's eastern city of Cottbus, and dozens of people have crowded into a small venue to hear a man who once dubbed himself the "friendly face" of National Socialism (Nazism).

Two other men with prior links to extremist groups are also in the room, including a candidate for forthcoming state elections.

They're all there to hear Matthias Helferich at a youth event organised by members of the prominent far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

The AfD has repeatedly rejected accusations of extremism.

However, by investigating the past of these three men, the BBC has found a clear crossover between AfD figures and far-right networks, some of which are classed as anti-democratic or racist by German authorities.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68931170

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