Magdeburg migrant-run businesses close their doors in strike aimed at AfD ahead of state vote

Hundreds of shopkeepers in the eastern German city of Magdeburg pulled down their shutters for several hours on Wednesday, staging a coordinated walkout to speak out against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) just under two weeks before voters head to the polls in Saxony-Anhalt.

Around 150 enterprises took part in the action, according to one of the organizers. The businesses affected included restaurants, barber salons and kiosks clustered around Hasselbachplatz, one of the city's central squares. They remained closed between 10 am and 3 pm local time (0800–1300 GMT).

The protest was not limited to businesses owned by people with migration backgrounds: other operators in the area announced they would join the shutdown as a gesture of support.

A demonstration in front of the state parliament in Magdeburg was additionally scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, giving participants a platform to voice their concerns directly to lawmakers.

Saeeid Saeeid, who works with the refugee council in Saxony-Anhalt, emphasized the message behind the action. "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 an unusually strong mood of unity among participants in the run-up to the strike. "Business owners are motivating one another, joining forces and peacefully raising their voices against racism and exclusion," Saeeid said, describing what he called an extraordinary sense of solidarity within the community.

Beyond the symbolic closure, the day was designed to make visible the contribution migrant entrepreneurs and workers make to everyday life in the region. A co-organizer said the goal was to highlight what the city would lack if migrant-run businesses were suddenly absent, pointing out that migrants staff care services, deliver parcels and keep construction sites and industrial operations going.

"But we don't want to be seen only as workers, but as people with all their needs," said the co-organizer, who works as a social worker by profession. She added that she hoped the strike would serve as a wake-up call to society at large and encourage voters to take a close look at the AfD's political programme.

The protest comes against a tense electoral backdrop. Saxony-Anhalt will elect a new state parliament on September 6, and the AfD's branch in the state currently sits at the top of opinion polls.

The party is aiming to win an absolute majority of seats, which would allow it to lead a state government for the first time in its history — a scenario that has alarmed civil society groups across Germany.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency classifies the Saxony-Anhalt AfD branch as a far-right extremist organization, a designation that underscores the stakes many residents attach to next month's vote.

For those who kept their kitchens, chairs and counters dark on Wednesday, the message was clear: they want their presence in the city recognized not merely as labor, but as full membership in society — regardless of how the election turns out.

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