Premieres Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS App
FRONTLINE goes inside the rise of far-right extremism in Germany. Tracing the increasing threat to democracy from the far right, its connections to extremist ideas and plots, with accounts from intelligence officials, politicians and the far right itself.
In the almost 80 years since the Holocaust ended, Germany has worked to face and overcome its Nazi history — prominently acknowledging Nazi crimes and memorializing victims, establishing strict laws about antisemitism and hate speech, and becoming a global leader in welcoming refugees.
But over the past decade, Germany has faced a rising wave of far-right violence and plots against Jews, Muslims, immigrants and politicians. And with crucial elections looming, a far-right party now appears more ascendant than at any other time since World War II.
Amid accusations that the party, the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland), has provoked violence, "Germany’s Enemy Within," a new FRONTLINE documentary premiering July 30, investigates the overlapping rise of the AfD and far-right extremism in modern-day Germany.
Related Article: Germany’s Laws on Hate Speech, Nazi Propaganda and Holocaust Denial: An Explainer
“This is exactly a situation that we would have never thought would occur after what we've learned in ‘33 to ‘45,” Stephan Kramer, domestic intelligence chief in the German state of Thuringia, tells FRONTLINE. “And here we are.”
"Germany’s Enemy Within" is the latest documentary from correspondent, reporter, producer and director Evan Williams, who has been covering the far right in Europe for over a decade, including in 2021’s Germany’s Neo-Nazis and the Far Right. From an attempted massacre of worshippers at a synagogue on Yom Kippur, to a mass shooting targeting Muslims, to the assassination of a pro-refugee politician, to a plot to violently overthrow the German government, the new documentary probes extremist attacks and plots.
It also examines the rise of the AfD in Germany — including in Thuringia, where the party is classified as extremist and is monitored by German intelligence, and where AfD politician Björn Höcke is at the same time on the brink of a potential election victory.
"The AfD is a party in which there are many members and functionaries who repeatedly spread hatred and incitement against minorities of all backgrounds," Thomas Haldenwang, director general of Germany’s national domestic intelligence, says of why the AfD is classified as extremist in Thuringia and as a suspected extremist party nationally. "The political arm of right-wing extremism is becoming ever stronger. The New Right, as we call them, ostensibly distance themselves from the violence but provide the underlying ideology for right-wing extremists of all persuasions."
The documentary includes a rare interview with Höcke, who has been convicted of using a banned Nazi slogan and whose language about minorities, for some, recalls Germany’s darkest days. Höcke has repeatedly rejected the charge that the AfD is extremist or that it stokes violence, called the Nazi era horrific, and accused the intelligence services of trying to suppress legitimate opposition. He tells FRONTLINE that right-wing extremism in Germany, “in relation to all our other problems, it's a very small problem.”
“In Germany, we have above all a problem with government extremism, with a government that wants to destroy its opposition. With a government that pursues a policy against its own people – because it wants to 'multiculturalize' its people with millions of illegal immigrants,” Höcke tells FRONTLINE.
"Germany’s Enemy Within" examines how such anti-immigrant rhetoric has found a foothold in Germany, allegations that it has inspired attacks, and how, if Höcke and the AfD come to power in Thuringia, it would be the first time a far-right party has controlled a German state since the Nazis.
For people like Armin Kurtović, the prospect is chilling. Kurtović’s son, Hamza, was among nine people of immigrant descent who were shot dead by a far-right gunman in the city of Hanau. The gunman had been watching videos of a far-right event at which Höcke was speaking the day before the attack in 2020.
“They turn totally normal people who work and lead a normal life into targets,” Kurtović tells FRONTLINE. “All I want is for something to change, not just for me. Nothing will bring my son back, but I have three other children. There are millions of other children. Does it really have to happen again?”
Watch On Your Schedule: FRONTLINE "Germany’s Enemy Within" will be available to stream with the PBS App. Watch the best of PBS anytime, anywhere on the free PBS app. Stream your favorite PBS shows on-demand and livestream shows from your local station, all from your favorite device.
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Credits: A FRONTLINE production with Mongoose Pictures in association with Evan Williams Productions. The correspondent, reporter, producer and director is Evan Williams. The senior producer is Dan Edge. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.
