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Rise of Germany’s far-right AfD stokes fears at concentration camp site


The historian running the memorial at Germany’s former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald is no stranger to hate crime and threats, but he fears more trouble ahead after the far-right AfD’s election triumph.

Jens-Christian Wagner says the rise of the anti-immigration party, which won Thuringia state elections with 33 per cent of the vote on Sunday, reflects a hardening of attitudes that could spell new dangers.

“My colleagues and I have been upset and depressed since Sunday evening,” said the director of the foundation that administers the site.

Wagner said he worries about worse to come after a spate of attacks in recent years, both on social media networks that have been “flooded with revisionist content” and on site, including swastika graffiti.

Historian Jens-Christian Wagner, who runs the memorial at Germany’s former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald, is no stranger to death threats but he fears more trouble ahead after AfD’s election triumph. Photo: AFP

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