With the German elections approaching as there are just more than two weeks left, the far -right German party, “Alternative for Germany” (AfD), is steadily second in polls for more than one and a half years and is accused of his rhetoric against immigrants. But the question that arises is Why so many young men are attracted to the far -right And what could be the consequences for a country that is deeply conscious of its Nazi past.

The BBC report cited Pew’s survey in 2024 which found that 26% of German men It had positive views on the AfD compared to 11% of women and the percentage of men who have this opinion has increased by 10 points since 2022.

In the European Parliament elections in 2024, according to German exit poll, the number of citizens under 24, men and women, who voted in favor of AfD in Germany, increased to 16%, increased by 11 points since 2019. It comes at a time when anxiety among young people is greater according to a recent study by the German Institute for Generation Research.

To a sample of 1,000 Germans 16 to 25 years old, stress levels were the highest Among respondents who self -disposed as far -right, while the lowest among the people in the center of the political spectrum.

Women were more likely to worry about their rights and rights of minority groupswhile men were found to be more concerned about more conservative values ​​based on rights.

Dr. Rüdiger Maas, of the German Think Tank Institute for Generation Research, argues that Left parties often focus on issues such as feminism, equality and women’s rights.

“In general, men do not see themselves on these issues,” he tells us. “That’s why they tend to vote more right.”

Hard, populist right -wing parties have also been able to do well in countries such as France, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Italy.

“60% of young men under the age of 30 would be thinking of voting in favor of the far-right in EU countries and this is much higher than the percentage of women,” says Tarik Abou-Chadi, a European Policy Professor at the University of Oxford, in Analysis derived from a subset of the European electoral study of 2024.

The role of social media

In addition to gender, immigration and financial issues, Social media outlets also play their own role. Platforms, such as Tiktok, allow political groups to bypass the main, traditional media, which the far -right considers hostile.

It is clear that AfD “dominates” Tiktok compared to other German parties, says Mauritius Dorn of the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD). He has 539,000 fans in his parliamentary account, compared to 158,000 for the SPD today that has the most seats in the German parliament today.

And it’s not only the official accounts, but “a significant number of unofficial accounts by fans who also helps disseminate party content,” Dorn says.

The 25 -year -old Tiktokker, Celina Brychcy, has more than 167,000 followers – 53% of whom are men, with 76% between 18 and 35 years. Brychcy promotes AfD. Although as he says to the BBC he doesn’t make money from it, he does it because he believes in the purpose and wants to “get a message”. Her political ideals include the desire to return military service, more support for mothers who want or should stay at home and stricter border controls.

Against ‘reversal of roles’

Brychcy is also against “reversal of roles” on how to dress between men and women.

A reaction against “gender ideology” is another issue identified by Professor Tarik Abou -Chadi and which feeds the support of the far -right between young people – which is also confirmed by the Institute for Generation Research.

Asking those who first vote if they found the trend of LGBTQ+ trend “übertrieben” “excessive”, those who agreed to a greater extent were those who planned to support the AfD.

Brychcy herself asked about this replied that we are biologically “men and women” and believes that people need to be recommended accordingly.

On the side of Abou-Chadi Professor He believes that despite the history of the Nazis in Germany, the far -right, in general, “is no longer so extreme,” he said.

The AfD, in three German states, has been described as a right -wing extremist party by the authorities – including Saxony, a name that the party unsuccessfully challenged in court.

It is a state where the number of “right -wing extremists” had reached “new high” – according to a report released last year by the Saxony Domestic Intelligence Service – which showed data from 2015.

Not in a vote of protest

AFD, with basic agenda issues that include security, borders and migration crime, It now embodies the concept of ‘immigration’, A key word on Europe’s far-right that is widely understood that it means mass deportations.

But those who really support the AfD do not just do so to protest, even if there is frustration for parties that traditionally ruled Germany. For those who support the AfD, the party could really put Germany on the path of radical change.

Professor Abou-Chadi believes that in the long run, there could be a huge change.

“And since the dominant parties begin to leave the” Wall of Protection “, the far -right will begin to cannibalize the right.”

“It is very likely that in many or in most European countries, far -right parties are the main party on the right – or they are already,” he says.

Parties like afd have worked hard to try to “normalize” in the eyes of the public.

While there are people in Germany and Europe who see the far -right as extremist, even anti -democratic power – it seems that the “normalization” attempt attributes, mainly among young people.