The German government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, says he fears that growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the east of the country could be linked to a rise in anti-Semitism.
"Dissatisfaction with the overall development of society actually manifests itself more strongly there than in the west," Klein told dpa in Berlin. History shows that social dissatisfaction is often also a yardstick for anti-Semitism, he said.
On Sunday, an AfD candidate in the town of Sonneberg in the state of Thuringia has a chance of being elected district administrator in a run-off election. It would be the first top municipal office for the AfD nationwide.
"People want to unload their anger, their discontent," Klein said.
"Even if that's not directly anti-Semitic, these patterns of explanation are always anti-Semitic at their core."
People are looking for someone to blame, he said.
"There's a direct correlation there. That also explains the concern of Jewish communities on the issue."
Klein said that politicians need to take this seriously.
"The way government works must be better communicated generally," Klein said.
"And it also needs to be made clear to people that populists don't offer answers." In addition, he said, it is important to make clearer the value of democracy and the freedoms that go with it, including freedom of travel and freedom of expression.
The right-wing populist AfD is currently polling between 18 and 20% nationwide, and significantly higher in the five states that used to form East Germany.
