Freie Sachsen candidate wins first round of mayoral election in Erzgebirge
A candidate from the far-right 'Freie Sachsen' group won the first round of the mayoral election in the Erzgebirge region of Saxony. The result underscores the political space to the right of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The election took place in a region that has seen far-right protests, including a 2013 torch march in Schneeberg.
A candidate from the far-right Freie Sachsen (Free Saxons) group won the first round of the mayoral election in the Erzgebirge region of Saxony, an outcome that underscores the political space to the right of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The election took place in a region that has seen far-right protests. In autumn 2013, a year before the first Pegida march in Dresden, 1,500 demonstrators marched with burning torches through the small town of Schneeberg in the Erzgebirge. Among the marchers were known neo-Nazi figures, including then-NPD state lawmaker Arne Schimmer and Michael Fischer of the Aktionsgruppe Weimarer Land. The protesters chanted "Wir sind das Volk" (We are the people), demanded the closure of a refugee reception center, threatened journalists present, and confronted counter-demonstrators, who were also present in the thousands.