Yasmin Fahimi, the head of the DGB trade union confederation, issued a stern warning regarding the consequences should the Alternative for Germany (AfD) come to power. In statements made to the “Rheinische Post”, Fahimi described the AfD as a party with right-wing extremist to fascist tendencies that fuels hatred and divides society. Furthermore, she warned that the party’s economic program would ruin Germany by planning extensive cuts to the welfare state.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming state elections, the DGB chairperson also cautioned against the AfD’s intention to gradually withdraw Germany from the European Union. She asserted that such a move would cost Germany thousands of good industrial jobs and place hundreds of businesses at risk. Instead, Fahimi emphasized the critical need for a strong EU single market and enhanced protection against the economic impacts of the United States and China.
Fahimi also criticized the party’s stance on the minimum wage and its demand for reductions in social benefits and pensions. She countered the AfD’s claim that cutting social services for non-German passport holders would free up sufficient resources to allow for drastic pension increases. She argued that Germany, with its aging population, relies heavily on attracting as many people as possible into the labor market, noting that employment growth since 2024 has been exclusively sustained by foreign workers.
The DGB leader concluded by stating that the party, which is partly characterized as right-extremist, is misleading its voters. She suggested the AfD is manipulating people through a mix of ideology and power interests, painting a picture of a backward-looking community devoid of foreigners. “In short, it has no viable concept for the future,” Fahimi stated. “The AfD offers no convincing solutions to the problems of our time, and certainly none for achieving greater social and economic security.”
