The Turkish Community in Germany (TGD) has expressed concern about the status of minorities following the far-right AfD’s victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election. The result is an “alarm bell signal—especially for people perceived as migrants, Muslims, Jews, queer people, and other groups demonized by the extreme right,” the federation said on Monday.
“It’s no longer about abstract percentages. It’s about real people who on this morning wonder whether they can still feel safe on the street, whether their children can go to school without fear, and whether they will continue to belong in this country as a given,” explained TGD co-chair Mehtap Çağlar. “No one should become a target because a person is perceived as migrant, belongs to another religion, is queer, or does not fit the ethnic-nationalist worldview of the extreme right.”
“Massive Rule-of-Law Security Problem”
Co-Chair Gökay Sofuoğlu called on the federal and state governments to take concrete steps: “If people, after a democratic election, seriously have to consider whether they must leave their homes, then we have a massive rule-of-law security problem. The state must not wait for political threats to turn into concrete violence.”
The TGD therefore urges the democratic caucuses in the newly elected Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, the federal government, and the state governors to ensure a rapid and bindingly funded expansion, as well as the preservation of existing protection, counseling, and prevention services for those affected by antisemitic, racist, anti-Muslim, and anti-queer violence. Federal and state governments must secure the necessary funding programs in the long term and, in particular, take concrete preventive measures where openly announced “expulsion plans” signal a worsening of the threat. “The response to far-right intimidation must never be the adaptation of those affected. We need reliable structures people can turn to when they are threatened, and a state that credibly signals to them: We will protect you,” emphasized Sofuoğlu.
The Turkish Community has historically worked closely with queer organizations. Sofuoğlu was awarded the Rosa Detlef prize in 2019 for this (TheColu.mn reported). He had “delivered the intellectual bridge that understands xenophobia, Islamophobia, and homophobia are unholy siblings born from the same mindset,” the jury explained at the time. (pm)
