Immigrant Business Owners in Halle Stage Strike Against Far-Right Surge

Immigrant shopkeepers in the eastern German city of Halle staged a one-day strike Thursday, shuttering their businesses to protest the recent electoral surge of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and a corresponding rise in racist hostility.

Roughly 30 establishments — including barbershops, restaurants, and small retailers — pulled down their shutters and cordoned off their premises with red-and-white tape as part of the coordinated action, dubbed “Halle Without Us?” The demonstration aimed to underscore the indispensable role immigrants play in the social and economic fabric of the mid-sized city in Saxony-Anhalt.

The protest follows September’s state election, in which the AfD captured nearly 44 percent of the vote on a platform promising mass deportations under the slogan “Remigration now!” Since the vote, participants say the climate has deteriorated sharply.

“Because of the AfD and the racism — well, I just can’t stay here in Halle,” said Mohamad-Samer, a 29-year-old fast-food worker who has lived in the city for three years. He declined to give his last name, fearing repercussions. “And everyone else — all the Syrians, all the foreigners — they cannot stay here either.”

Around 200 people gathered in the market square to denounce the growing uncertainty facing immigrants and refugees in the state. Organizer Dalal Mirzo, a 38-year-old Syrian immigrant who has lived in Halle for 11 years, reported a marked increase in daily racism and attacks since the election.

“Thirty shops joined in, but many others didn’t dare to participate,” Mirzo said. “They are afraid because a significant number of their customers are far-right extremists, and they fear facing repercussions.”

Fadi Darwish, 21, who co-owns a shisha bar with his father, expressed concern less for his own mobility than for the community’s perception of immigrants. “I know that if I was able to build something from scratch here, I could do the same thing somewhere else,” he said. “But I hope that others — the German people — understand that, without us, many things wouldn’t function properly.”

Demographic Stakes

The strike mirrors a similar demonstration held by immigrant business owners in Magdeburg, the state capital, just before the election. During the campaign, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund vowed to deport all foreigners residing in the state illegally, though the party fell just short of an outright majority.

The political tension coincides with a profound demographic crisis. For decades, the former East German states, including Saxony-Anhalt, have suffered population ageing and decline; the state has lost a quarter of its residents since reunification in 1990.

“We are in a state that is grappling with a profound demographic shift, and everything would grind to a halt if people were to leave,” said Mamad Mohamad, a regional Greens Party legislator who joined the protesters. He noted receiving daily messages from residents making plans to leave Saxony-Anhalt.

“I have lived here for 30 years, and for 30 years we have faced racism and discrimination in Germany,” Mohamad said. “But since the election, this racism has become overt — on the streets, at work, in schools, in our daily lives. It has become simply unbearable for people.”

Source link