HAMBURG, Germany -- Indians living in Germany are growing uneasy over the large gains made by the anti-immigration populist AfD party in four recent state elections, some expats told Nikkei Asia.

The Alternative for Germany is designated as "suspected extremist" by the country's intelligence agency and until recently was regarded by many as a fringe movement. But in a trend unfolding across Europe and in the U.K., the far-right party has garnered support in recent years as Germany grapples with stagnant growth amid a surge in immigration over the past decade.

AfD officials have publicly called for Germany to enact a policy of "remigration," a far-right concept of deporting people with migrant backgrounds. At the less extreme end, the AfD manifesto aims to narrow skilled migration routes.

Since 2023, Germany has sought to recruit 90,000 skilled workers from India annually to cope with an acute labor shortage. As a result, Indians constitute Germany's fastest-growing community of foreign workers, with 311,000 people living in the country at the end of 2025.

Kumar Mohit, a Stuttgart-based business analyst focusing on big data management, said he worries that AfD rhetoric can stir hatred, even if he sympathizes with voter concerns.

"It polarizes the situation by going all out against immigration and using typical worldwide right-wing talking points," Mohit said. "I'm not entirely against their core philosophy despite being an immigrant here, but the extreme rhetoric from some leaders genuinely scares me, as it risks pushing society toward actual hate crimes." Hate crimes against Indians in Germany are rare. The most recent incident occurred in 2007 when a mob of over 50 right-wing extremists attacked and chased eight Indian men. But politically motivated crimes and hate offenses in Germany have increased, reaching a record 85,837 cases last year, driven by right-wing ideologies and xenophobia.

"It polarizes the situation by going all out against immigration and using typical worldwide right-wing talking points," Mohit said. "I'm not entirely against their core philosophy despite being an immigrant here, but the extreme rhetoric from some leaders genuinely scares me, as it risks pushing society toward actual hate crimes." Hate crimes against Indians in Germany are rare. The most recent incident occurred in 2007 when a mob of over 50 right-wing extremists attacked and chased eight Indian men. But politically motivated crimes and hate offenses in Germany have increased, reaching a record 85,837 cases last year, driven by right-wing ideologies and xenophobia.

The antagonism toward immigrants is rooted partly in a perception flogged by populist groups that refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and African countries are exploiting a generous social welfare system. This leaves some Indians concerned that they may become collateral damage, regardless of their status in the country.

India is Germany's largest source of foreign skilled workers and students. (Screenshot from the Facebook page of the Embassy of India in Berlin) Mohit said though he feels safe living in the high-tech hub of Stuttgart, his former city of residence Berlin is humming with negative vibes these days.

The AfD nearly doubled its support in Berlin during the weekend election to 16.3% and won a plurality in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, though it remains far from gaining control in either state. But the party is trying to form a government in Saxony-Anhalt where it won a landslide two weeks ago. These states are in the former East Germany, where the AfD benefits from a complex mix of post-reunification economic trauma and cultural skepticism toward mainstream Western institutions.

These states are in the former East Germany, where the AfD benefits from a complex mix of post-reunification economic trauma and cultural skepticism toward mainstream Western institutions.

But AfD support also grew this month in the western state of Lower-Saxony, where the party more than tripled its vote share to 15.9% -- even if some of the gains may spring from protest against the center-right Christian Democratic Union and center-left Social Democratic Party, which form the national ruling coalition. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, from the CDU, is hugely unpopular.

An Indian customer service agent in Frankfurt who requested anonymity sees the AfD's gains as reflecting genuine concerns among voters that should not be waved off as "extremism or racism" and that mainstream parties must address.

"At the same time, I do think there is some unease about what a stronger AfD presence could mean for legal and hardworking immigrants and students, particularly around belonging and how welcome people feel in Germany," she said.

AfD party headquarters did not respond to a request for comment by Nikkei Asia. On the grassroots level, a newly elected AfD town councilor in Varel, a small town in Lower Saxony, said the party welcomes skilled workers who contribute to taxes and social security.

"In principle, I strongly welcome the immigration of genuine skilled workers, and naturally, this also applies to their children should they go on to study here," Klaus-Dieter Kohnert said.

Alice Weidel, co-chair of the AfD, campaigns for the far-right party in Saxony-Anhalt in July under the slogan "anything is possible." Those words aren't enough to reassure Aju John, a Berlin-based Indian labor activist, who took issue with the AfD's plan to narrow migration channels, saying the community already faces a longer visa process.

"It is an opaque black box to us, with no one for sure knowing whether this is attributable to general bureaucratic bottlenecks or the political climate turning unfriendly against us," he said.

Political consultant Martin Fuchs thinks the climate has turned tougher for immigrants. He said that while progressive voters may take to AfD co-chair Alice Weidel, who is openly gay and has a Sri Lanka-born partner, the party has turned fearlessly radical. Fuchs said this "progressive radicalization" is spreading across all state branches, as the party realizes that far-right rhetoric resonates with voters.

"The term 'remigration' caused a public outcry a few years back, but it has since become standard vocabulary," Fuchs said. "Whereas right-wing parties in Italy and France pursue a strategy of deradicalization to reach the political center and become more electable, the AfD is following the opposite path of progressive radicalization. Their long-term goal is to dispense with foreign labor entirely." Another AfD stance could frighten other immigrants in Germany -- its Russia- and China-friendly ways.

"The term 'remigration' caused a public outcry a few years back, but it has since become standard vocabulary," Fuchs said. "Whereas right-wing parties in Italy and France pursue a strategy of deradicalization to reach the political center and become more electable, the AfD is following the opposite path of progressive radicalization. Their long-term goal is to dispense with foreign labor entirely." Another AfD stance could frighten other immigrants in Germany -- its Russia- and China-friendly ways.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that German leaders are preparing to deny AfD access to a military blueprint covering how to respond to another Russian attack on an Eastern European country, given the party's pro-Moscow stance.

The AfD also opposes interference in China's internal affairs, rejects criticism regarding alleged human rights violations by Beijing and distances itself from supporting Taiwan. This worries a Taiwanese engineer involved in constructing a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. facility in Dresden.

"Even in places like Dresden, where some AfD politicians have recently shown interest in Taiwan due to semiconductor investments and TSMC's arrival, this friendly gesture is essentially pragmatic and short-term driven," said the engineer, who requested anonymity. "I am deeply cautious of the AfD as their stance is rooted in immediate economic gains rather than shared democratic values." Jens Kastner is a contributing writer.