Eastern Germany confronts far-right influence in schools and culture ahead of elections

Ahead of upcoming regional elections in eastern Germany, concerns over far-right influence in education and cultural policy are escalating. Educators in eastern states report an increase in extremist symbols and right-wing rhetoric among students. To counter anti-democratic trends, Thuringia’s education ministry and the University of Jena are deploying "constitutional coaches" to assist schools in promoting democratic principles. Meanwhile, federal SED dictatorship victims' commissioner Evelyn Zupke called for mandatory student visits to East German memorial sites to strengthen historical understanding. Cultural policy has similarly become a political battleground; in Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party proposed stripping funds from programs labeled "anti-German," threatening support for Holocaust memorials, Bauhaus sites, and local arts venues amid ongoing East-West identity disputes.

Sources: Correctiv, Der Spiegel, DW, FAZ, Tagesschau.