00:00 In the city of Straubing, campaigning for Bavaria's state elections is heating up.
00:10 The region is a stronghold for conservative parties.
00:13 But in recent years, the far-right AfD has gained momentum.
00:17 "My personal opinion is that the AfD is a last resort, because none of the old parties
00:26 are of any use to me."
00:28 The AfD is currently projected to take around 13 percent of the votes in this state, as
00:34 in the rest of Germany, the issue of migration is the party's main draw.
00:38 "It's important that the people who have no business being here are removed, and that
00:45 the people who come in are educated and skilled."
00:52 The Bavarian AfD party candidate Katrin Ebner-Steiner is said to be one of the most extreme politicians
00:58 in her party.
00:59 She claims Germany and Europe are being overwhelmed by migration.
01:03 "We would deport all foreigners who no longer have the right to be in the country, which
01:08 means we would relieve our social system, we would relieve our hospitals, and of course
01:13 there would be better schooling for our children again, because there simply wouldn't be so
01:17 many foreign children in class who don't speak German.
01:22 If necessary, we need a fortress Germany and not just fortress Europe."
01:26 Others in Straubing are troubled by these remarks.
01:30 "It makes me very reflective, because what we need right now is a sense of cooperation.
01:40 The problem with the AfD is that it does exactly the opposite, it drives people apart."
01:45 "It's terrible that this party is getting so much support.
01:52 They have no solutions at all, just, I find it quite appalling."
01:58 Some conservative party members in the region think the rise of the far right is due to
02:02 frustration with the national government led by the Social Democrats.
02:05 "But I am convinced that voting for the AfD is not the right signal to send to Berlin,
02:12 because it actually makes it even more difficult for conservatives to get majorities, because
02:16 some of these voters come from our camp."
02:19 Erhard Gründel from the Green Party says the conservative party style of communication
02:25 is also partly to blame.
02:28 "I can see that there is also a conflict within the conservative party.
02:33 The people who say, let's move further to the right, and others who are moderates.
02:38 And then the AfD becomes more acceptable because you adopt its narrative.
02:42 So it's not a surprise that people say it's just another normal party."
02:49 Two months before the elections in Bavaria, the mainstream parties appear to be lacking
02:54 a strategy for countering the far right AfD.
03:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]
