{"id":94984,"date":"2016-05-05T15:09:48","date_gmt":"2016-05-05T23:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=94984"},"modified":"2016-05-05T15:09:48","modified_gmt":"2016-05-05T23:09:48","slug":"germanys-far-right-afd-party-has-more-public-support-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=94984","title":{"rendered":"Germany\u2019s Far-Right AfD Party \u2018Has More Public Support Than Ever\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Justin Huggler, Telegraph, May 5, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n

Angela Merkel on Thursday warned that Europe risks a \u201creturn to nationalism\u201d if it does not secure its external borders, as polls showed support for the far-Right is rising in Germany amid growing fears of Islam.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of Europe is at stake,\u201d the German chancellor said in a passionate plea to preserve freedom of movement and the Schengen Agreement on border-free travel within the continent.<\/p>\n

Even as she spoke, a new poll released on Thursday showed support for the far-Right Alternative for Germany(AfD) party is at its highest ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cEurope stretches from the North Pole to the Mediterranean. We must defend the Schengen Treaty and the external borders, or we risk a return to nationalism,\u201d Mrs Merkel said.<\/p>\n

She was speaking at a joint press conference in Rome with Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister.<\/p>\n

Both leaders spoke out against plans by Austria to close its border with Italy at the Brenner Pass, to prevent migrants entering.<\/p>\n

The AfD is riding high in the German polls on a wave of public discontent over the migrant crisis, and recorded its highest ever support less than a week after it adopted an anti-Muslim manifesto.<\/p>\n

It is now in third place on 15 per cent, just five points behind Mrs Merkel\u2019s main coalition partner, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), who have slipped to 20 per cent.<\/p>\n

Mrs Merkel\u2019s centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) remain in first place in the monthly ARD survey, with 33 per cent.<\/p>\n

But, perhaps more worryingly for the German chancellor, a second poll found the AfD may be in step with voters with its overtly anti-Muslim stance.<\/p>\n

Only 22 per cent of Germans believe Islam belongs in their country, according to the poll for Bild newspaper by the Insa institute.<\/p>\n

An overwhelming 61 per cent agreed that Islam does not belong in Germany\u2013a central plank of the AfD\u2019s new manifesto.<\/p>\n

The poll found attitudes had hardened considerably over the past year, which has seen more than 1.1m asylum-seekers enter Germany, the majority of them Muslim.<\/p>\n

A similar survey in Jaunary 2015 found 37 per cent believed Islam belonged in Germany, while 47 per cent did not.<\/p>\n

The latest poll found opinion split over the supposed \u201cIslamisation\u201d of Germany, a key claim of the Pegida street movement: 46 per cent said they were concerned by it, while 39 per cent said they were not.<\/p>\n

There was, however, more acceptance when it came to individual Muslims, as opposed to Islam as a religion.<\/p>\n

Almost half of respondents agreed that Muslims who live in Germany belong to the country, while only 30 per cent did not.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of Germans considered the issue of Islam separately,\u201d Hermann Binkert, the managing director of Insa, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile they rejects the idea Islam is part of Germany, they firmly believe Muslims who live here belong to Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n

An estimated 4 million Muslims live in Germany as citizens or permanent residents.<\/p>\n

However, he poll\u2019s findings were not all positive for the AfD.<\/p>\n

It found 49 per cent of Germans do not believe it can establish itself as a long-term political force with its current anti-Muslim agenda.<\/p>\n

Only 22 per cent of respondents said they believed the party would last the course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Justin Huggler, Telegraph, May 5, 2016 Angela Merkel on Thursday warned that Europe risks a \u201creturn to nationalism\u201d if it does not secure its external borders, as polls showed support for the far-Right is rising in Germany amid growing fears … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13633],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-germany"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t