'I am appalled': Holocaust survivor raises alarm over far-right AfD victory in Germany

Eva Umlauf, a Holocaust survivor, expressed her shock and dismay over the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's victory in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on Sunday. Umlauf, who was two when her family was freed from Auschwitz in 1945, is president of the International Auschwitz Committee and a pediatrician and psychotherapist based in Munich.

She told Reuters that she is appalled and saddened by the rise of the far-right party, which has never held power in a German state since World War Two. Umlauf visits schools to educate children about the Holocaust and serves as a voice for minority groups alarmed by the party's surge. The AfD, founded in 2013, rejects Nazi comparisons and pushes for restrictions on immigration, ties with Russia, and a focus on patriotic history, often dismissed as downplaying Germany's Nazi past.

Jewish organizations in Germany view the AfD as a platform for antisemitism and far-right extremism. The election has occurred amid growing antisemitic incidents across Europe following the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. Despite the AfD's rising support, Umlauf remains hopeful that the remaining 70% of Germans will not support the party's policies.