Church Resistance Against AfD Grows in Saxony-Anhalt

In Saxony-Anhalt, churches and the Diakonie are mobilizing against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which aims to enter government. Around 120 people gathered in early June at the Merseburg Cathedral, invited by the Saale-Unstrut church district. The atmosphere was cautious, with attendees distributing flyers quoting AfD officials calling for violence, including references to 'disposing of persons,' shooting or deporting foreigners, and even a new Holocaust. One quoted figure wished for a 'civil war with millions dead.' Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, the state's chief AfD ideologue, was cited. This movement evokes memories of the historical 'Confessing Church' that opposed the Nazis.