Germany’s Turkish community is concerned about the surge in far-right support as activists call for the dual citizenship right to be protected ahead of national elections this Sunday, following a campaign marked by heated debates against migration.
Gökay Sofuoğlu from the Turkish Community Germany (TGD) organization said Wednesday that the tone of the discussion, which "exclusively declares migration to be a problem," has caused great concern to the country's immigrant population.
While Sofuoğlu does not believe that politicians are intent on "fueling racist violence or spreading fear among people from a migrant background," he nonetheless argued that "this is precisely the effect of their current actions."
Migration has been at the forefront of the election campaign amid a spate of attacks attributed to foreign nationals, some of whom were due to be deported.
The incidents have also led to some calls for the next government to overturn a new law allowing dual nationality for non-EU citizens, a key demand for Germany's large community of first and second-generation Turkish people.
A TGD survey found that more than 80% of election candidates from the Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats – whose three-way coalition passed the law before collapsing in late 2024 – support retaining dual nationality.
However, only 33% of candidates from the conservative alliance of Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) who responded to the survey said they backed the measure, with 48% against it.
The CDU/CSU bloc is the clear favorite to lead Germany's next government after Sunday's election, but the far-right anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party also looks set for its best-ever result of around 20%, according to current polling.
The Turkish community has warned against the spike in support of the AfD and urged members to vote this Sunday.
The AfD’s attempt to garner votes by promising to deport foreigners or reject their residence applications instead of resolving current problems is elemental politics and concerning, Selçuk Demirci, the head of the Berlin Turkish Congregation, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Germany has paid a heavy price for what happened in its past and does not need to pay this again, Demirci said, urging the people to stand up for democracy.
“We hope the necessary measures are taken and the people protect their values and are not deterred by this cheap politics,” he said.
In that vein, he continued, the Turkish community in Germany must protect shared values and democracy.
“I urge them not to heed these simple statements, which are actively against us,” he said, arguing that the anti-migrant sentiment is a problem for all of Europe, which “must find a solution to it.”
If Germans of foreign background vote for the AfD, they will suffer the consequences later on, Hidayet Yiğit, a shop owner based in western Cologne, said.
“They must think it through. We cannot afford to suffer this concern,” he added.
University student Hacı Emre Yavuz, concerned about increasing voter support for far-right parties like the AfD as a youth of a migrant background, urged fellow voters to go to polls and contribute to the sustainability of Germany, “the protector of rights.”
Safiye Ulufer, a consultant based in Aachen, argued the Turkish community must stand against racism in Germany. “We can only do that by being vocal and voting,” she said. “We expect these elections to have a high turnout from our fellow Turks.”
Businessperson Ali Kılınç, also based in Cologne, called on the “people of Anatolia” to vote “with the consciousness that their political opinions can be effective in shaping the world.”
According to Ahmet Yılmaz, the head of an association for migrants in Europe hailing from Elazığ, a province in eastern Türkiye, the reason behind the rise of far-right can be attributed to “false policies” implemented so far.
“The reason why people are hearing the unpleasant voice of the far-right is because we, the migrants, have not voted, expressed our stance and opinions because when we let them run riot, this is what we have in our hands,” Yılmaz argued.
