Police are investigating the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after a local branch created mock boarding passes for deportation flights, allegedly leaving them in the mailboxes of migrant-background residents in the city of Karlsruhe. The “ticket” features a boarding date coinciding with Germany’s upcoming general election on February 23, with leftists accusing the party of inciting hatred.
Karlsruhe Mayor Frank Mentrup criticized the flyer for causing fear, a tactic he argues should not be part of campaigns. The AfD defended its actions, insisting the material was distributed to all voters, not only migrants.
Polls show the AfD in second place ahead of next year’s elections, with over one in five voters supporting the party. It leads the governing Social Democrats and their current and former coalition partners in the Greens and neoliberal Free Democrats, and could double its current number of seats in the German legislature.
Migration remains a pivotal issue in Germany as debates on mass deportations or “remigration” intensify. Even Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged to enhance the deportation process for rejected asylum seekers following a terrorist attack at a diversity festival in Solingen, in which a Syrian Islamist stabbed multiple people to death.
According to data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), asylum applications in Germany decreased in 2024. However, Germany still led Europe, with 235,925 applications in 2024.
The AfD has recently embraced “remigration” policies that could see large deportations of illegals and criminal migrants. The populist Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe), which won last year’s Austrian national election, previously took this stance. FPOe leader Herbert Kickl is expected to become the country’s new Chancellor if he can form a coalition government.
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