Germans reject a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) by a majority of 52% to 27% in favour, according to a new representative survey published by the Allensbach Institute polling organization on Saturday.
The proportion opposed to a ban rises to 65% in the east of the country, according to the poll published by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily newspaper, while it falls to 49% in the western states. The AfD enjoys widespread support in the formerly communist eastern states.
The pollsters found a range of reasons for rejecting a ban on the party, which is monitored as a far-right extremist organization by the domestic intelligence agencies.
The main reason was that respondents were familiar with AfD supporters, with 67% of west Germans and 88% of east Germans having AfD supporters in their circle of acquaintances. These acquaintances were seen in a much more sympathetic light than the party itself.
In other words Germans know who the real NAZIS are. h/t DS
