Archive · 18 Sep 2026
AfD's Rise in Germany Challenges Indian Migrants' Sense of Safety
The AfD is a far-right political party in Germany.
It wants tougher rules on immigration and often speaks against Islam.
On September 6, it won a large share of votes in Saxony-Anhalt.
Some Indian people living in Germany think the party is mostly a danger to Muslims, not to them.
The article says this may be unsafe thinking because the party also opposes many kinds of immigrants and diversity.
If the AfD gains more power, it could support stricter rules for work visas, families, and long-term residence.
Some Indian migrants support this kind of politics, while others protest against majoritarianism and support democratic movements.
The authors argue that migrants should stand together instead of assuming they will always be protected.
The far-right Alternative for Germany won 44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt’s September 6 state election.
The result was the AfD’s strongest performance in any German state and more than twice its share five years earlier.
Some Indian migrants believe the AfD mainly threatens Muslims and may not target them.
The AfD’s anti-immigration politics also oppose diversity and may affect visas, family reunification, and residency rights.
The article argues that solidarity with other targeted communities offers greater security than relying on perceived religious or professional exemptions.
- Who
- The Alternative for Germany, Indian migrants in Germany, and other German political parties are central to the report.
- What
- The AfD won 44.5% in a Saxony-Anhalt state election, prompting debate over whether Indian migrants are safe from its anti-immigration politics.
- When
- September 6; other German states are scheduled to hold elections later in the year.
- Where
- Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, with reactions discussed among Indian migrants in Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt.
- Why
- The result matters because it brings an anti-immigration far-right party closer to political power and could affect migrants’ rights and immigration pathways.
Perceived Safety and Selective Sympathy
Collective Vulnerability and Solidarity
Who is threatened by the AfD?
Perceived Safety and Selective Sympathy
Some Indian migrants believe the AfD is primarily a problem for Muslims and that Hindu Indians may remain safe.
Collective Vulnerability and Solidarity
The article argues that the AfD’s broader opposition to immigration, diversity, and people of colour could also threaten Indian migrants.
Attitudes toward AfD positions
Perceived Safety and Selective Sympathy
Some Indian migrants express sympathy for the party’s anti-Islam views, seeing them as a shared concern.
Collective Vulnerability and Solidarity
The authors say that identifying with anti-Muslim politics overlooks the party’s wider ethnic and nationalist ideology.
How migrants should respond
Perceived Safety and Selective Sympathy
A sense of professional, educational, or religious advantage may lead some migrants to believe they are exempt from the party’s policies.
Collective Vulnerability and Solidarity
The article argues that migrants are safer when they support solidarity with other targeted communities rather than relying on temporary exemptions.
- Party
- Alternative for Germany, commonly called the AfD
- Election result
- 44.5% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt
- Significance
- The AfD’s best result in any German state, according to the article
- Party origins
- Founded in 2013 in opposition to the common euro currency
- Political positions
- Opposition to immigration, Islam, the European Union, and diversity
- Indian migration
- Indians are described as Germany’s seventh-largest immigrant community
- Potential impact
- Stricter policies could affect visas, family reunification, and long-term residency