AfD

Germany's far-right AfD has moved to ban Stolpersteine, the small brass memorials embedded in pavements across Germany and Europe commemorating victims of the Nazis. Critics say the party is attempting to erase the memory of Nazi crimes while simultaneously insisting it is not a Nazi party, and the contradiction is drawing sharp condemnation and widespread discussion.

Commentators in Germany are arguing that established parties mistakenly believe they can defeat the AfD by adopting parts of its programme. The argument being shared is that the AfD inflates manufactured rather than real problems, so parties copying its positions only amplify those manufactured issues, shifting attention away from genuine major problems and effectively strengthening the far-right party instead of fighting it. The debate feeds into wider discussion over how mainstream parties should respond to AfD gains, particularly on immigration.

A debate is unfolding in Germany over the Union's response to events in Heidenau, with critics arguing the CDU/CSU's stance says more about the party itself than about the AfD or the state of democracy. Commenters point to the party's long-standing mantra that Nazis must be defeated 'on substance' rather than banned, questioning whether that approach still holds.