Why Germany Should Be Worried about This Far Right Extremist Group

August 7, 2026 | Germany is considering an extraordinary move: should it ban one of its most popular political parties?

The far-right AfD is surging in the polls despite being classified as a right-wing extremist organisation by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. As crucial state elections approach, the country faces a defining question: can a democracy stop extremism without undermining its own principles?

Produced by Federica De Caria.

Germany Makes Cannabis Legal - New Rules Explained

Here’s the low-down.

What the Berlin Pride Attack Reveals about Radicalization | DW News

July 31, 2026 | After the deadly attack against Berlin's CSD, former Salafist and Muslim queer activist Tugay Saraç explains how Islamist extremist groups recruit young people and how a Pride event becomes a target.

Berlin Pride Alleged Attacker Was Unwilling to Deradicalize, Expert Tells DW | DW News

July 29, 2026 | The alleged Berlin Pride killer showed no willingness to deradicalize, according to the organization that attempted to counsel him. DW spoke to Cornelia Lotthammer, director of the Violence Prevention Network, the court-appointed NGO handling the case of 21-year-old Abdul B. Days before he allegedly attacked Berlin’s LGBTQ+ parade, Lotthammer’s team had already decided he was unfit for counselling. She says a court could have decided to send him to deradicalization training in prison.

Abdul B., a German-born citizen, had been convicted for acts of extremism, including attempting to join the so-called Islamic State. In May 2026, a Berlin court sentenced him to almost two years in prison, but released him on preliminary probation. On July 25, he allegedly drove a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations and then attacked people with a blade, killing one person and injuring 29 others. A day later he was tracked down and shot dead by police.

DW’s Pablo Foley Elias spoke to Cornelia Lotthammer about Abdul B.’s case, the causes of extremism, and how it needs to be addressed.


These people get themselves into a hell of a mess with this because they don't understand the root of the problem: Islam! Forget Islamism! These so-called Islamists are in love with Islam and their prophet. A so-called "Islamist" is merely a devout, practising, fundamentalist Muslim following uncompromisingly the precepts and tenets of his faith. When will these people get it? How many more people will have to be killed before they give up on their airy-fairy notions? And of course, this person was unwilling to deradicalize, for to concede to deradicalization would be tantamount to giving up on his faith!

Germany is never going to be able to solve its problems of homophobia in the Muslim community with this 'artsy-fartsy' outlook and talk! Don't confuse and conjoin the radical problems found in other groups with the "Queerfeindlichkeit' found in the Muslim community, otherwise you will never find solutions to the problem. The radicalization caused by the so-called hyper-masculinity trend is something quite different, and has to be treated quite differently. — © Mark Alexander

Brit in Germany: The Question Germany Can’t Answer

July 26, 2026 | Germany has a word that keeps appearing whenever people talk about immigration, integration and national identity - Leitkultur.

In this video, I try to understand what the word actually means, why it is so difficult to define, and what it reveals about the bigger question Germany still seems to be struggling with.

Why Is Germany’s Far Right Winning Young Voters?

July 27, 2026 | In Germany the radical right is on the rise. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has gone from the fringes to the second largest party in federal government. And it is expected to win more state elections this autumn.

So how did the AfD become so popular in a country that's worked so hard to distance itself from its fascist history? And could it be stopped?

Guest: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times and The Sunday Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Micaela Arneson, Olivia Case, Jesse Fox.

Is the AfD a Threat to Germany? Mehdi Hasan & Maximilian Krah | Head to Head

June 26, 2026 | Running on an anti-immigration, pro-deportation platform, the German far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) became the second-largest party in parliament last year and is polling first in 2026.

Critics see the AfD’s rise as a threat to Germany’s multicultural democracy and to the future of the European Union - accusations the AfD rejects.

Mainstream parties have so far kept it out of government by maintaining a "firewall" of non-cooperation, but will it hold?

Mehdi Hasan challenges Maximilian Krah, member of parliament for the AfD, on "Remigration", his views on Muslims, and whether the party should be considered extremist.

Joining the discussion:

Gerald Knaus - Chairman of Berlin-based European Stability Initiative
Deborah Feldman - American German writer and commentator
Ralph Schoellhammer - Head of the Center for Applied History and IR Theory, Mathias Corvinus Collegium

Surrogacy Dispute Forces Jens Spahn from Conservative Leadership Role | DW News

July 18, 2026 | A decision that clashes with CDU policy has prompted Jens Spahn to leave one of the most senior positions in Germany’s conservative camp.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte : How Black Forest Cherry Cake Is Made | An Authentic German Recipe

July 18, 2026 | It’s considered the most famous cake in the world: the Black Forest cherry cake. It’s found all over the world, in all kinds of variations. But its real home is the Black Forest, in the south of Germany. So, what makes it the real deal? What about the cherry brandy? And did it even really originate in the Black Forest?

What Was the Nazi Party - and Was It Socialist?

The NSDAP, or the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, despite having the word „sozialistische” in its name, WAS NOT a SOCIALIST party!

What Happened to Germany’s Royal Family After the Empire Fell?

July 5, 2026 | In November 1918, the German Empire collapsed virtually overnight. Kaiser Wilhelm II fled to the Netherlands, and 22 separate monarchies fell like dominoes — ending centuries of royal rule across Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg, and beyond.

But the families who built these empires didn't disappear. They negotiated. They schemed. Some struck deals with the Weimar Republic. Others made a far darker bargain — with Adolf Hitler himself.

This is the untold story of what happened to Germany's royal dynasties after the empire fell. From Kaiser Wilhelm's bizarre exile as the "Woodchopper of Doorn," to Crown Prince Wilhelm's catastrophic flirtation with the Nazi Party, to the Wittelsbach family's principled resistance that landed them in concentration camps — the fates of these families reveal how power, wealth, and legacy survive even when thrones are destroyed.

Over a century later, the descendants of Germany's last emperor are still fighting the German government over palaces, crowns, and 27,000 priceless artifacts. And the question at the center of it all — did the Hohenzollerns help bring Hitler to power? — is worth millions of euros.

This story isn't just about royalty. It's about what happens when dynasties outlive their purpose, and the choices that define a family's legacy for generations. …

German Riot Police Clash with Protesters Hoping to Block Far-right AfD Conference

THE GUARDIAN: Thousands of police deployed to Erfurt in central Germany as party holds conference on key Nazi date

Riot police have clashed with opponents of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on the streets of Erfurt in Germany, where thousands met to block roads and prevent AfD delegates from attending the party’s biennial national conference to elect its leadership.

Police reported 20,000 protesters were demonstrating in the eastern city, where Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected as the party’s co-leaders in the run-up to crucial regional elections in which AfD could win power at state-level for the first time.

The protesters, led by the “Resistance” alliance, staged sit-in blockades in the city centre in an attempt to prevent the AfD’s approximately 600 delegates from reaching the conference grounds, with some abseiling from a motorway bridge and others gluing themselves to tram tracks to cause disruption. » | Donna Ferguson | Saturday, July 4, 2026

Ironically, Hitler was not a German, but an Austrian. His soul, however, lives on particularly in Germany. In fact, it lives on and on and on! Will it ever die? Will Germany ever be able to shake off Hitler’s deplorable and disgusting legacy, once and for all? Will Germans ever be able to purify their image and souls of that despicable man’s ghost and cruel legacy? For truly it seems that Hitler’s ghost keeps coming back to haunt Germans, generation after generation. — © Mark Alexander

Weaponizing Civil Death to Crush Dissidents (w/ Hüseyin Doğru) | The Chris Hedges Report

July 1, 2026 | Western states test the limits of their expansive repression of free speech in cases such as the sanctioning of German journalist, Hüseyin Dogru.

Support Chris Hedges’ independent journalism at substack here.

How Nazi Germany Invented Television Propaganda I SLICE History | Full Documentary

Jun 28, 2025 | Long before television became a household staple in the 1950s, Nazi Germany was already experimenting with live broadcasts and state-controlled programming. From news reports and entertainment shows to propaganda and speeches, the Third Reich built one of the world's earliest television networks. Thanks to newly uncovered archives, this documentary reveals a forgotten chapter in media history and offers a rare glimpse into everyday television under Hitler's regime.

Documentary: Television Under the Swastika*
Directed by Michael Kloft
Production: Spiegel TV (1999)


FYI: The original, Das Fernsehen unter dem Hakenkreuz, was in German.

The Rise of the Third Reich | Full Documentary

March 19, 2025 | Explore the chilling rise of the Third Reich in this gripping documentary, tracing Germany’s journey from the devastation of World War I to the horrors of Nazi rule.

Uncover how a nation crippled by economic despair and political instability became fertile ground for Adolf Hitler's radical ideology.

Through powerful storytelling, rare footage, and expert analysis, witness how propaganda, fear, and ambition manipulated a nation, leading to the creation of one of history’s most ruthless dictatorships and a tragic descent into war and genocide.

Contributors: Lisa Pine, Guy Walters, Mick Sumner
Director: Sarah Findley


This all sounds very similar to what has been, and still is, going on across the Pond right now! — © Mark Alexander

How Nazi Membership IDs Are Rewriting Family Histories

Jun 27, 2026 | The Nazi Party membership records are published online by the U.S. National Archives, easily accessible to anyone. 

Files that had long lain hidden are now giving answers to the question of millions of Germans: Were my grandparents Nazis? These documents are upending families across Germany, as long-held narratives, omissions, and repression begin to break down.

We are following a grandson uncovering dirty secrets in his family’s Nazi past.

Merz Backs Plans to Raise Germany’s Retirement Age to 70 in Pension Changes

THE GUARDIAN: Recommendations from commission propose gradual rise in retirement age by the early 2090s

Screenshot taken from this article. | ‘No citizen needs to worry,’ said the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Germany will gradually raise its retirement age to about 70 by the early 2090s under recommendations backed by the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, as a means of future-proofing the pension system for an ageing population.

Presenting its findings on Tuesday, an expert commission set up to explore reforms to the pension system said retirement age should be linked to rising life expectancy and early retirement should be scrapped.

“No citizen needs to worry,” said Merz, as he said the measures would prevent the collapse of the creaking pension system and strengthen the social contract between generations. Young people, he argued, would be given a “reason for optimism” by the measures, which would “lift a tremendous burden” from their shoulders.

The commission of experts sat for long daily sessions from January until its 33-point plan was presented on Tuesday.

Among its key recommendations are for the obligatory contributions made by workers and employers to be invested in the stock market in order to increase and safeguard the fund’s value for future generations. It also proposed expanding compulsory pension contributions to include civil servants and self-employed workers. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Die armen Deutschen! Von nun an müssen sie sich bis zur völligen Erschöpfung abrackern! Wenn sie Glück haben, erhalten sie dann als Gegenleistung eine staatliche Rente, für die sie ihr ganzes Leben lang eingezahlt haben. Doch wie lange werden sie diese Zahlungen wohl beziehen können? Meiner Meinung nach wäre es besser und gerechter, die Milliardäre stärker zu besteuern. Auf diese Weise könnten hart arbeitende Menschen ihren Ruhestand noch einige Jahre lang genießen. – © Mark Alexander

Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union: Operation Barbarossa (1/2) | DW Documentary

Jun 19, 2026 | On 22 June 1941, the German Wehrmacht launched a war of aggression against the Soviet Union. Under the code name ‘Operation Barbarossa’, the campaign aimed to bring the vast country in the east to its knees. Millions of people died as a result.

At the beginning of the Second World War, the Nazi regime celebrated a series of military successes: boosted by rapid victories in Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the Wehrmacht prepared a secret manoeuvre in the east, firmly convinced that troops would be back home after a few months. But the period of unimaginable violence unleashed by Hitler would claim millions of lives.

Without declaring war and with more than three million soldiers battle-ready, the Wehrmacht attacked on a broad front between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. In the first hours of the meticulously prepared military invasion, the Luftwaffe rained bombs on Soviet bases near the border, catching the Soviets completely off-guard.

The force of the attack was seen as a continuation of the German troops’ successful ‘Blitzkrieg’ campaigns. In his instructions to the Chief of Operations in the Armed Forces High Command, written in March 1941, Hitler had already stated: ‘This upcoming campaign is more than just a battle of arms, it’s also a clash between two worldviews. The Jewish-Bolshevik intelligentsia, as the previous oppressor of the people, must be eliminated.’

Another aim: the economic exploitation of conquered territories. Many of those involved and affected by this tragedy - Germans and Soviets, soldiers and civilians alike - recorded their harrowing experiences in amateur films, letters and diaries. These vivid descriptions of the German war of aggression in the East are a far cry from official war reporting and state propaganda. These accounts, by men and women fighting for survival, document the horror on both sides of the conflict.

Why Fanta Was Created in Nazi Germany

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Germany's Multi-billion-euro Plan for Shelters, Hospital Beds and Emergency Vehicles | DW News

May 18, 2026 | Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Berlin has spent around €300 billion Euros on its military — but critics warn the country is still not ready to defend itself.