AfD's Saxony-Anhalt manifesto: Deportations, school segregation, family incentives

The Alternative for Germany (AfD), led by candidate Ulrich Siegmund, is contesting the Saxony-Anhalt state election with a detailed policy platform that would significantly reshape the state's approach to immigration, education, and family life if it secures power.

Immigration and Labour

The party's 'Vision 2026' manifesto proposes a state-level deportation offensive, coordinated by a new task force to accelerate the removal of rejected asylum seekers. In a departure from conventional labour market policy, the AfD suggests encouraging small and medium businesses to adopt AI and digitalisation through incentives, rather than recruiting skilled workers from what it terms 'culturally alien' backgrounds.

The manifesto also calls for the removal of war refugee status for Ukrainians, arguing that those displaced should seek refuge in western Ukraine while the conflict remains concentrated in the east. The party, which advocates for closer ties with Russia, frames this as a necessary measure.

Schools, Religion, and Culture

A significant portion of the manifesto focuses on education and cultural policy. The AfD proposes placing children of refugees in separate classes to reinforce the message that their stay is temporary and to prevent 'various stresses' on other students. It also plans to end inclusive education, sending children with disabilities to special schools instead of mainstream classrooms.

Schools would be barred from flying rainbow flags, with the German national flag raised daily. The national anthem would be sung at school events. The party intends to use all legal means to restrict Islamic expression, including banning the call to prayer and regulating mosque decoration.

The curriculum would shift towards a 'patriotic cultural policy', with greater emphasis on medieval rulers and figures like Otto von Bismarck. Existing social, psychological, and integration support would be scrapped. The AfD also pledges to dismantle the state's public broadcasting structure and withdraw funding from certain cultural institutions.

Family and Demographics

To address Germany's ageing population, the AfD rejects immigration as a solution and instead proposes financial incentives for German citizens to have children. The manifesto attributes sinking birth rates to the acceptance of 'sexual deviations and non-reproductive lifestyles' and promises to aggressively promote traditional family structures of a mother, father, and children.

Additionally, the party would seek to restrict access to puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone therapies for minors, aiming to counteract what it describes as a growing 'trend' towards gender dysphoria.