Migrant shops close in Magdeburg over AfD election fears

Many migrant-owned shops in Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany, temporarily closed on Wednesday, Aug. 26, to warn against the consequences of a possible far-right AfD win in the state election on Sept. 6.

Media reported that owners of about 150 migrant-owned businesses joined the five-hour closure. The Refugee Council of Saxony-Anhalt backed the action, saying the shops were closing so “the doors to a free and democratic society do not close tomorrow.”

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany is leading in polls ahead of the vote and hopes to form a state government for the first time. The German domestic security service labels the party “right-wing extremist.”

The AfD has vowed a “deportation and remigration offensive.” Saaeid Saaeid of the Refugee Council told public broadcaster ARD that many participants said they were increasingly afraid of hostility.

The council said migrants had reported racism and social exclusion, and that calls for mass deportations and exclusion of people with a migration history had created fear and uncertainty.