Bavarian leader Söder warns AfD rise could destroy Germany

Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder on Monday warned against the growing popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The conservative leader was speaking a popular folk festival, with AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla also giving an address at the event.

What did Söder say about the AfD?
Speaking at the Gillamoos festival, Söder said the AfD's goal was "clear — to divide, to weaken and to develop a different form of democracy."

Söder told supporters in Abensberg, north of Munich: "Let's not fall for it. Let's not allow our country to be destroyed. No to the AfD taking over Germany and Bavaria."

He rejected calls for an AfD party ban, warning such a move would create a "martyr status" for the group, but cautioned against complacency. "There are right-wing extremists in central positions in the state parliament, and many AfD politicians are under observation by the domestic intelligence service," he said.

Söder leads the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU). Together, the CDU/CSU bloc are the bigger partners in a ruling coalition at the national level with the center-left Social Democrats.

Söder said German liberty was "more fragile than ever" and accused the AfD of seeking "to divide, to weaken and to develop a different form of democracy."

Domestic intelligence deems the AfD a suspected far-right extremist group, but a bid to confirm that status is suspended pending a court challenge.

What did the AfD's co-leader say about winning in 2029?
The AfD's Chrupalla also addressed the festival, voicing confidence his party would win the 2029 federal election. The AfD, now the largest opposition party in the German Bundestag, took around 20% in February's parliamentary vote, its best national result to date, and polls suggest support remains high.

"We will get this ship back into shape," he said. The AfD last year won a state election in Thuringia, the first far-right victory at state level since World War II.

Germany’s new government has pledged stricter migration policies as it seeks to stave off support for the AfD, which has gained support by capitalizing on concerns over border security.

Chrupalla, who leads the party alongside Alice Weidel, pledged to "paint the country blue" in reference to AfD's colors, and mocked both Söder and Merz. He accused Merz of breaking "every campaign promise ever made since taking office in May."

Chrupalla and Bavarian AfD leader Katrin Ebner-Steiner also called for mass deportations of migrants without the right to stay. "We will deport, deport, deport until the runways in Munich are glowing," Ebner-Steiner said.