Migrant shopkeepers in Germany close stores to protest AfD’s mass deportation plans

Migrant business owners in the eastern German city of Magdeburg closed their shops Wednesday to protest the far-right Alternative for Germany party’s xenophobic “remigration” rhetoric ahead of a state election.

The “Migra-Streik,” or migrant strike, kept participating businesses closed from 10 am to 3 pm local time, including grocery markets, barbershops and restaurants.

More than 120 business owners took part, according to organizers.

“We are closing our doors today so that tomorrow the doors to a free and democratic society do not close,” the Refugee Council of Saxony-Anhalt said in a statement supporting the protest.

The council said the action was driven by “experiences of racism and social exclusion” and a broader political debate that increasingly casts doubt on whether some residents belong in Germany.

It said this particularly affected people born abroad or with a migration background, including those who have lived in the country for years and contribute to local communities and the economy.

“Demands for mass deportations and the displacement of people with a migration history from our society are causing fear and insecurity for many people with refugee and migration backgrounds,” the council said.

“The business owners involved do not wish to remain silent on this matter,” it added.

“By voluntarily closing their businesses, they are making their perspectives and concerns publicly visible and sending a peaceful, democratic signal.”

The anti-immigrant AfD is leading polls ahead of the Saxony-Anhalt state election, where voters will choose a new regional parliament and government.

In its campaign platform, the party calls for a “180-degree turnaround” in migration policy and an aggressive push for deportations and so-called “remigration.”

The latest Pollytix survey puts the AfD at 43%, followed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union at 23%, the Left Party at 13% and the Social Democratic Party at 7%.

The Greens are near the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, while the left-wing populist BSW is projected at 4%.

Although the AfD leads in the polls, it is not assured a majority. The final distribution of seats will depend partly on whether smaller parties clear the 5% threshold.

The AfD’s strength persists despite repeated warnings from mainstream politicians and security authorities about its extremist tendencies.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, has classified the AfD’s regional branches as proven right-wing extremist organizations, saying parts of the party promote a racist and ethnic understanding of national identity incompatible with Germany’s democratic constitutional order.

AA