Increase in votes of far-right parties in Germany worries Turks living in country

The increase in the vote rate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in some states in the recent elections in Germany has caused anxiety among people of foreign origin living in the country, especially Turks.

Turks living in Cologne expressed their concern that the anti-immigrant AfD became the second party with 29.2% of the votes in the elections held on Sept. 22 in Brandenburg, one of the eastern states of Germany.

Doğan Cimikoğlu, who lives in the city, told Anadolu that the AfD is the continuation of a previously established party, called NPD.

"These are racist parties and they are dangerous parties, especially for foreigners," he said, adding: "We, as foreigners or social democrats, need to take precautions against this."

Cimikoglu said that the influx of people fleeing the wars in Syria and the Middle East to Europe in recent years has increased racism, which also led to an increase in the number of votes that the far-right parties receive in elections.

"These votes can be brought down democratically," he said.

"The wrong policies of parties like the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens have also contributed to the rise in their votes," he said, adding: "These parties did not keep their promises, so even people who are not right-wing are turning to these parties."

"All people must unite and prevent these right-wing extremists from coming to power," he said.

Cimikoglu further said: "29% of the vote is too much, they have overtaken most parties and this is really dangerous."