The growing support for Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the country’s eastern states is causing concern among some immigrants, with several saying they increasingly feel unwelcome and are considering leaving.
Reuters spoke with 20 people from migrant backgrounds in Rostock and nearby Schwerin in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Many said they had experienced more anti-immigrant hostility in recent years, ranging from verbal abuse to demands that they return to their countries of origin.
Among them is Shahd Najeeb, who fled Syria’s civil war more than a decade ago and has since built a life in Germany with her husband and two children. She said she now fears that the country may no longer welcome people like her.
Najeeb recalled an incident at a grocery store in Rostock in which an elderly man allegedly shouted at her that she did not belong in Germany.
“The pain I experienced in Rostock is a new kind of pain that I have never felt before,” she told Reuters.
The concerns come as the AfD continues to gain political support in eastern Germany. Opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania indicated that the party could emerge as the largest party in the state.
Earlier in September, the AfD won its first major regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, another eastern German state.
The party has called for tighter immigration controls and has used the term “remigration” in its political messaging, referring to the return of foreigners to their countries of origin.
AfD candidate Leif-Erik Holm said he supports immigration by skilled workers but argued that foreigners without a legal right to remain in Germany should be deported.
Critics, however, say the party’s rhetoric has contributed to a climate in which immigrants generally feel targeted.
The issue also has economic implications. Around 50,000 people with a migration background work in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while economists warn that eastern Germany faces labour shortages because of low birth rates and an ageing population.
Germany’s labour office says about 316,000 Syrian nationals work in the country, excluding Syrians who have obtained German citizenship. Most are employed in full-time jobs that contribute to the social security system.
While unemployment among Syrians remains relatively high, official figures show that employment increases the longer they remain in Germany. Among Syrians who had lived in Germany for at least seven years, more than 60% were employed in 2023.
Some Syrians still hope to return home if conditions improve, while others, including Najeeb and her husband, increasingly regard Germany as their permanent home.
For Najeeb’s husband, Mahmoud Hmouech, the main concern is the future of their children.
“At the end of the day, family comes first,” he said.
Tags
World History