Germany: AfD Politician Wears Niqab to Thuringian Parliament

‪'No Mosques in Germany!' Mass Rally against Muslim Houses of Worship in Thuringia‬

Germany: Far-right Thuringia Demo Countered by Dozens of Pro-refugee Activists

Dozens of far-right protesters gathered in the town of Rudolstadt in Thuringia, Sunday, and marched through the city centre in opposition to the German government's policies towards the ongoing refugee crisis and refugee flows.

Frenzied Armed Riots in Migrant Camp after Man Tears Up Koran and Throws Pages in TOILET

EXPRESS: RIOTS broke out in an overcrowded German refugee camp after a resident tore pages out of a Koran and threw them in the TOILET.

At least 17 people were injured when 20 Syrian refugees chased down an Afghan man after he ruined and discarded the Islamic holy book.

But the situation turned nasty when the crowd turned their anger to the camp's security guards as they protected the alleged offender.

More than 50 men armed themselves with steel rods and began hurling rocks at the guards and police.

The migrants smashed car windows, ransacked buildings and demolished the walls, which divide the shelter in Suhl, Thuringia, in a rampage which lasted several hours. » | Rebecca Perring | Friday, August 21, 2015

German Far-Left Party Takes State Parliament

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH East German communists return to power 25 years after fall of Berlin Wall

Germany's far-Left party has returned to power in a state government for the first time since the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago, stoking heated debate about its communist roots.

The Left Party, widely seen as the successor to the Socialist Unity Party (SED) that once ruled East Germany, will head the government of Thuringia after the state parliament narrowly voted to approve a new coalition.

The new state prime minister, Bodo Ramelow, used his first speech in parliament to apologise to victims of the former communist regime, and said he wanted to "reconcile rather than divide".

Thousands of people braved sub-zero temperatures on the streets of the state capital, Erfurt, on Thursday night to protest against the expected result of the vote.

Angela Merkel predicted the decision would be "bad news" for Thuringia, while the German President, Joachim Gauck, broke with the traditional neutrality of his role to speak out against it. » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Friday, December 05, 2014

NORD-WEST ZEITUNG ONLINE: Ramelow ist Thüringens neuer Ministerpräsident: Der 58-jährige Bodo Ramelow erhielt im zweiten Wahlgang 46 von 90 gültigen Stimmen. Damit stellt die Linke 25 Jahre nach dem Mauerfall erstmals einen Ministerpräsidenten in Deutschland. Bei der Wahl lief aber nicht alles glatt. » | Freitag, 05. Dezember 2014

Merkel Victory in Doubt after Left-wing Surge in Regional Elections
TIMES ONLINE: Germany’s lacklustre national election campaign was thrown open last night when left-wing parties made a surprise surge in two key regional states.

Early results from elections in Thuringia and Saarland showed that Chancellor Angela Merkel will face a much stronger opposition than expected in the general election. Political pundits had assumed that Ms Merkel would be a shoo-in on September 27 and that she was poised to rule Germany with a coalition of Christian Democrats and the small, pro-business Free Democrats.

But her Christian Democrat Party was hit hard by voters in what seemed to be a general protest against the conservative party identified with a tarnished financial and banking elite. Suddenly, the terms of this national election campaign have changed.

Ms Merkel remains the most popular politician in the country but it is now unclear with what coalition she intends to rule and how she will realise her dream of introducing a “progressive conservatism” to Germany.

“These results show that there is no support in the country for a coalition between Christian Democrats and Free Democrats,” said Frank Walter Steinmeier, leader of the centre-left Social Democrats, Ms Merkel’s main rivals. “It also shows what an unreliable indicator opinion polls have become. We will fight for outright victory on September 27.”

What seemed to be emerging last night was the prospect of a left-wing coalition governing in two important regional states. >>> Roger Boyes in Berlin | Monday, August 31, 2009