Magdeburg's Migrant-Run Businesses Shut Their Doors in Pre-Election Protest Against AfD

Roughly 150 businesses owned by migrants in the eastern German city of Magdeburg temporarily closed their doors on Wednesday in a strike aimed at the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the anti-immigration party currently topping polls ahead of next month's state election in Saxony-Anhalt.

The closures ran from 10 am until 3 pm local time (0800–1300 GMT) and were concentrated in the area surrounding Hasselbachplatz, one of the city's central squares. Restaurants, barbershops and kiosks were among the establishments that took part, according to an organizer of the action.

A rally in front of the state parliament was also scheduled for later the same day, giving participants an additional platform to voice their opposition to the party and its policies.

Saeeid Saeeid of the Saxony-Anhalt refugee council stressed that the protest carried a message beyond economics. "What is important to us is this: Nobody should have to prove through work or economic output that they belong to this society," he said.

Organizers described a strong response within the community in the run-up to the strike. Saeeid spoke of "an extraordinary sense of solidarity," noting that business owners were encouraging each other, joining forces and "peacefully raising their voices against racism and exclusion." He added that some businesses not owned by migrants had also announced plans to join the shutdown in a show of support.

Beyond the symbolic gesture of closing shop, the action was intended to highlight the everyday contributions migrant entrepreneurs make to life in the city. A co-organizer pointed out that migrants keep care services running, deliver parcels, and work in construction and industry — roles that would become visibly absent if they stopped.

At the same time, she emphasized that the protest was about more than labor. "But we don't want to be seen only as workers, but as people with all their needs," said the organizer, who works as a social worker.

According to the organizers, the strike was designed as a wake-up call to society and an appeal to voters to take a close look at the AfD's program before heading to the polls.

Saxony-Anhalt is set to elect a new state parliament on September 6. The state branch of the AfD, which the domestic intelligence agency classifies as a confirmed far-right extremist organization, currently leads opinion surveys ahead of the vote.

The party is campaigning for an absolute majority, which would allow it to lead a state parliament government for the first time — a prospect that has galvanized opponents like the Magdeburg business owners who chose to close their doors rather than carry on business as usual. -- END --