A leading Turkish community organization in Germany warned Tuesday that a hardening anti-immigrant climate and a rise in far-right violence are heightening fears among migrants, particularly in the eastern states, as the far-right AfD gains ground.
Gokay Sofuoglu, chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), said the deteriorating environment has moved beyond political discourse into physical threats and violence, as right-wing extremists feel encouraged by the AfD's high polling numbers in the eastern states.
"For us, the security situation in eastern Germany is not an abstract debate—it is a matter of very real fears," Sofuoglu said in a statement. He called on the politicians and authorities to take appropriate measures to restore a sense of safety for immigrant groups that feel increasingly targeted.
The warning comes as the AfD seeks to convert its strong poll numbers into governing power in several regions for the first time. The party is making a major push ahead of September's state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt—two eastern states where xenophobic incidents have risen disproportionately.
Sofuoglu noted that while the national average for right-wing violent crimes stands at 51 per 100,000 inhabitants, the figures nearly triple in the east. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the rate is 145 per 100,000, while Saxony-Anhalt follows closely at 142.
"Relative to its population size, the risk of becoming a victim of right-wing violence is particularly high in eastern Germany," Sofuoglu said.
The community leader highlighted a recent incident in the eastern state of Brandenburg as an example of a growing culture of impunity and public indifference. Almost a week ago, two men on a regional train reportedly shouted racist slurs at two women wearing headscarves, telling them to "go to Auschwitz." According to Sofuoglu, no passengers intervened, and the train conductor allegedly refused to call the police to avoid travel delays.
Sofuoglu said they are receiving information about an increase in similar incidents, which often go unreported in official statistics.
"Eastern Germany is becoming an increasingly serious security issue for people who look like me, and I am truly deeply concerned for the people living there," Sofuoglu said, adding that the state authorities should live up to their "paramount duty" to ensure that all residents can live in freedom and safety.
"If we can no longer do so, then I can no longer place my trust in this state," he said. "This is currently how millions of people in Germany feel."
