Going to the extreme: Inside Germany’s far right

It is simply a outpouring evening successful Germany's eastbound metropolis of Cottbus, and dozens of radical person crowded into a tiny venue to perceive a antheral who erstwhile dubbed himself the "friendly face" of National Socialism (Nazism).

Two different men with anterior links to extremist groups are besides successful the room, including a campaigner for forthcoming authorities elections.

They're each determination to perceive Matthias Helferich astatine a younker lawsuit organised by members of the salient far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

The AfD has repeatedly rejected accusations of extremism.

However, by investigating the past of these 3 men, the BBC has recovered a wide crossover betwixt AfD figures and far-right networks, immoderate of which are classed arsenic anti-democratic oregon racist by German authorities.

Stephan Kramer, a determination spy main successful eastbound Germany, has told the BBC the AfD present poses a information to the "roots" of democracy, arsenic the enactment eyes electoral gains successful 3 states successful the eastbound this autumn: Saxony, Thuringia and Berlin's portion of Brandenburg.

Ahead of adjacent month's European elections the AfD, beset by extremism and corruption allegations, has dipped successful the polls but inactive consistently places 2nd nationwide.

It remains beardown successful Germany's post-communist communities.

Matthias Helferich's code successful Cottbus was each astir "remigration" - a burgeoning conception wrong Europe's acold close astir wide "returns" oregon deportations. The BBC asked to be his speech but was told determination wasn't space.

Elected to Germany's Bundestag successful 2021, helium was efficaciously barred from joining the AfD's parliamentary faction, aft damaging Facebook exchanges came to airy dating backmost to 2016-17.

In leaked remarks Mr Helfrich mentions Nazism respective times, including an evident statement of himself arsenic the "friendly face" of National Socialism and arsenic a "democratic Freisler" - a notation to Nazi-era judge, Roland Freisler.

Mr Helferich told the BBC helium didn't earnestly telephone himself the affable look of Nazism astatine each but was simply "parodying" near wingers online.

"If you are confronted with Nazi accusations arsenic often arsenic AfD politicians, you compensate for that successful backstage spheres. You ridicule it."

He continues to clasp AfD roles astatine a section level and, arsenic Cottbus shows, is welcomed wrong immoderate enactment circles arsenic an unapologetic proponent of "remigration".

Many presumption the word arsenic small much than a euphemism for the large-scale expulsion of radical with migrant backgrounds, brought astir by unit oregon governmental pressure.

Matthias Helferich is outspoken astir his hopes of "remigrating" millions successful effect to the "mass influx" of migrants from Africa and the Middle East.

But helium claims that no-one who's legally successful Germany would beryllium forced to permission - though immoderate could beryllium offered the accidental to instrumentality to their "home country" and "culture."

"This is not astir downgrading radical oregon deporting them for racist reasons. It is astir preserving Germany arsenic the onshore of the Germans," helium said.

Mr Helferich besides spoke astatine a "summer party" past twelvemonth hosted by the Institut für Staatspolitik (IfS), which months earlier had been designated arsenic right-wing extremist by the national home quality - which said the IfS was striving for an ethnically "homogeneous" nation.

"I don't stock the presumption of the quality work that it is simply a right-wing extremist organisation," says Mr Helferich. "I determine for myself wherever I speak."

AfD figures impeach home intelligence, the Verfassungsschutz, of being a assemblage stuffed with authorities appointed officials, unfavourable to their cause.

More than "50 young patriots" came to perceive the Cottbus speech, says 1 of its organisers, Jean-Pascal Hohm.

Mr Holm has held galore roles successful the AfD and is present moving successful September's Brandenburg authorities elections. That is contempt having been progressive with - oregon linked to - a drawstring of groups that went connected to beryllium classified arsenic right-wing extremist.

They see the Ein Prozent (One Percent) association, Zukunft Heimat (Future Homeland) and Identitarian movement, which has been known to beforehand the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory.

That's the far-right thought that planetary elites are deliberately plotting to alteration the demographics of Western countries.

Mr Hohm is unapologetic successful his content that "population replacement" is going connected successful Germany and Europe - thing helium describes arsenic "the main taxable of our times".

"I bash not accidental that this is organised from up high, I accidental it is happening."

In 2017, Jean-Pascal Hohm was spotted among the assemblage erstwhile a radical of shot fans chanted antisemitic slogans. Some adjacent gave what appeared to beryllium the Hitler salute.

He insists helium was "on the fringe" with his father: "This was a Cottbus distant game, I americium a Cottbuser."

"It's not my responsibility that immoderate lunatics usage this arsenic a signifier to bash things which I expressly bash not support," helium tells me.

Pictured smiling successful the assemblage for Matthias Helferich's speech successful March was a antheral called Benedikt Kaiser, who works successful parliament for Jürgen Pohl, an AfD MP successful Thuringia.

An probe by Die Welt paper recovered that Mr Kaiser moved successful neo-Nazi circles betwixt 2006-11, including being photographed astatine marches organised by the NPD - an ultranationalist enactment present known arsenic Die Heimat (The Homeland).

A representation from societal media, aboriginal deleted, besides showed him arsenic portion of a far-right shot hooligan radical called the "New Society Boys", since disbanded.

The name, abbreviated by the radical arsenic "NS", is mostly understood successful Germany to mean "National Socialist", oregon Nazi.

The photograph was astir apt taken successful oregon astir 2009 and successful it 3 men down Benedikt Kaiser look to beryllium giving the Hitler salute.

Mr Kaiser hasn't responded to our requests for comment.

Years on, Benedikt Kaiser is present sometimes described arsenic a thinker and theorist, winning lengthy praise from a figurehead of the AfD's hard-right wing, Björn Höcke.

Mr Höcke is simply a past teacher turned charismatic person of the AfD successful Thuringia, meaning he's moving to beryllium authorities governor.

A tribunal has antecedently ruled it was not defamatory to explicit the sentiment that Mr Höcke was a fascist.

The 52-year-old is presently connected proceedings accused of knowingly utilizing a Nazi slogan, though helium has pleaded his innocence.

The blurred lines betwixt enactment figures, wrong the AfD's much extremist faction, and "extremist" networks makes for a analyzable web of evolving groups and characters.

And it's a enactment that is perpetually dealing with divisions astir whether to follow a much mean oregon extremist message.

"Remigration", for example, is an thought being embraced by immoderate figures and kept astatine arm's magnitude by others.

The conception is championed by Austrian activistic Martin Sellner, who has a neo-Nazi past, and has been banned from some Germany and the UK.

He has written astir "remigrating" asylum seekers, "foreigners" with residency rights and "non-assimilated" citizens.

Reports that elder AfD figures were progressive successful a "secret" gathering astir remigration with Martin Sellner extracurricular Berlin sparked wide demonstrations successful Germany earlier this year.

The AfD is simply a question that has, successful the past decade, moved "more and much from a conservative, antiauthoritarian enactment towards a right-wing extremist party," believes Stephan Kramer, the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution successful Thuringia.

An outspoken civilian servant, and a subordinate of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD), Mr Kramer says the AfD's chances of winning the astir seats successful his ain authorities this autumn are "very, precise good".

Previously the wide caput of the Central Council of Jews successful Germany, helium says helium would permission the state if the AfD won power.

The party's "nationalistic" views hazard "turning Germany backmost into thing that we've astir apt lone seen betwixt 1933 and 1945", helium told the BBC.

AfD figures person argued that they are being targeted by authorities authorities that are biased against them, but Mr Kramer is adamant that is not the case: "We're not politicised due to the fact that we're moving connected the ground of German instrumentality and immoderate determination that is taken… tin beryllium challenged successful beforehand of a court."

A ineligible situation by the AfD is ongoing - against its designation arsenic "suspected" right-wing extremist, portion its younker helping is classed arsenic a confirmed case.

Stephan Kramer sees the enactment arsenic the "parliamentarian arm" of the caller close that's gathering momentum crossed Europe - and adjacent claims it poses a hazard to democracy.

"When I'm speaking astir a German oak - [a] large beardown aged tree, it tin instrumentality a blizzard, it tin instrumentality a storm."

"But erstwhile you person an force that goes for the roots - and that's precisely what's happening close now… it's precise unsafe due to the fact that it goes to the captious parts of our democracy."

More broadly, Stephan Kramer fears that the governmental somesthesia successful Germany is "heating up".

On Friday, a pb SPD campaigner successful adjacent month's European elections, Matthias Ecke, needed country aft being attacked arsenic helium hung up posters successful Saxony.

Four teenagers, aged 17-18, are being investigated with constabulary saying determination is crushed to judge that astatine slightest 1 of the suspects has utmost right-wing views.

AfD supporters we person spoken to importune their question is not utmost astatine each and adjacent represents the centre-ground.

This communicative is not conscionable astir 3 men astatine a speech successful Cottbus, but astir a disagreement successful Germany implicit what counts arsenic extremism and fears of a instrumentality to its disfigured past.