1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
PoliticsEurope

How the far-right AfD fuelled a campaign of division

36:07

This browser does not support the video element.

July 25, 2025

The deliberate spread of false information just handed the far right a big win. The vote on a new set of constitutional court judges was postponed. One candidate has been left damaged. We speak to Philipp Sälhoff, who heads a think tank that showed how a post by the far-right AfD party went on to fuel a campaign of disinformation and how this has become a wake-up call for German policy makers.

CHAPTERS: 

0’00“ - Welcome 
01’21“- The campaign begins 
02’53“ - Accusations stick 
04’00“ - AfD gets involved 
05’51“ - Abortion Trigger Point 
09’30“- That viral moment 
12’40“ - Narrative derailed 
13’47“ - Campaign or Disinformation 
15’44“ - MPs get cold feet 
17’44“ - AfD Playbook 
21’47“ - Breaking the strategy? 
25’21“ - Get your MPs together! 
27’20“ - Shift the conservative normal 
28’40“ - Digital underperformance 
32’56“ - Manipulation effect 
34’10“ - Winner takes it all 
35’10“ - End 

 

DW Berlin Briefing newsletter

https://www.dw.com/en/berlinbriefing/a-56770271

 

DW Berlin Briefing on 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dw-berlin-briefing-inside-german-politics/id1775699172 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/07Wp4c6w9qVIYmB7JIbFBZ 

  

RSS feed DW Berlin Briefing: https://rss.dw.com/xml/podcast_Berlin_Briefing

 

For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/

For more news, analysis and background information on the German election 2025 go to our dedicated page: https://www.dw.com/en/german-election...

Follow DW on social media: ►Instagram:   / dwnews   ►TikTok:   / dwnews   ►Facebook:   / deutschewellenews   ►Twitter:   / dwnews  

Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie:    / dwdeutsch  

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutsche...

Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW