How Germany’s far-right gained, even as it lost

The injection of tens of millions of euros in taxpayer cash, Naumann suggested, would help the AfD popularize far-right politics in German universities and bolster its pipeline of recruits. She delved into the beliefs and rhetoric of figures like DES Chairwoman Erika Steinbach, who “claims that there is no place for ‘radical, racist and extremist ideas’ in her foundation, but various unions and organizations, including the Central Council of Jews in Germany, accuse her and other DES board members of ‘relativizing’ the Holocaust, or minimizing it by comparing it to lesser events, and having ties to extremist groups.”