Flags flutter in the wind outside Magdeburg's Catholic cathedral. "Love thy neighbor, dialogue, human dignity, solidarity. VOTE CONSCIOUSLY!", they proclaim. Just a few minutes' walk away, a sign on the building of the Protestant Cathedral Congregation reads: "DIVERSITY IS DIVINE." Other Protestant churches across the region display banners reading "Heart Instead of Hate."
For many months now, warnings about the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is particularly strong in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, have been part of everyday church life. During a sermon at a pilgrimage event in September 2025, Magdeburg Bishop Gerhard Feige remarked almost in passing that pilgrims of hope do not cast their votes on a whim, "into the blue." He was interrupted by prolonged applause — blue is the AfD's party color.
The AfD holds a commanding lead in the polls ahead of the state election on September 6. The prospect of a government led by the party alone appears increasingly plausible. At the same time, Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt branch as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" organization.
What if Germany's far-right AfD party wins in Saxony-Anhalt?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
