The evolution of the anti-immigration and anti-islam policies of the Alternative for Germany party (2013–2025)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2640.2026.162.20

Abstract

Background. The growing support for right-wing populist parties in Western European countries and their increasingly active role in shaping migration and religious discourse have intensified scholarly interest in the ideological evolution of such movements. In this context, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is of particular interest, as the party has transformed over the past twelve years from a moderately Eurosceptic organization into one of the leading anti-immigration and anti-Islam political forces in the Federal Republic of Germany. The relevance of this topic is determined both by the significant socio-political impact of the AfD in Germany and the European Union and by the academic need for a systematic analysis of the mechanisms underlying the radicalization of the party’s programmatic positions. This study aims to identify the transformation of the party’s positions from a relatively moderate approach during its early years to the development of a comprehensive anti-immigration and anti-Islam doctrine that has come to occupy a central place in the AfD’s policy documents and parliamentary activities.

Methods. The article employs general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis. Among the specialized historical methods, the chronological, comparative, and historical-typological approaches are applied. To examine the dynamics of the transformation of the AfD’s programmatic documents and rhetoric, the method of discourse analysis is utilized.

Results. The study establishes that during 2013–2014, the AfD did not yet regard migration as the principal threat, combining recognition of the need for skilled immigration with demands for its regulation. After 2015, migration became the dominant issue in the party’s strategy, while its rhetoric grew increasingly restrictive. During 2016–2019, the anti-immigration discourse was institutionalized through the concepts of "Islamization", "parallel societies", and the "German guiding culture". Since 2021, the concept of "remigration" has assumed a central position and, by 2024–2025, was incorporated into the party’s programmatic documents and electoral rhetoric as a set of practices involving the compulsory return and deportation of migrants. Simultaneously, the party’s anti-Islam policy acquired a systematic character: Islam was increasingly interpreted not as a religion but as a political and civilizational threat.

Conclusions. The study demonstrates that the evolution of the AfD’s anti-immigration and anti-Islam policies reflects the party’s transition from a Eurosceptic movement to an influential right-wing populist force for which restricting immigration, narrowing the legal status and rights of Muslims, and criticizing multiculturalism have become key components of its political identity. The radicalization of these positions was driven by the 2015 migration crisis, changes in the internal balance of power within the party, and the successful institutionalization of these demands in parliamentary practice.