I find that the “xenophobic” or “anti-immigration” claims against her and her party seem to be way overblown, e.g., look at the sheer number of first generation Germans in high positions of the party (if I remember correctly, Sahra herself is the daughter of an Iranian immigrant). Of course we’ve seen a bunch of self-hating grifters on the right with similar backgrounds, but if you actually read what is said in the manifesto, it doesn’t seem to be rooted in that kind of bigotry. I’m not German, neither do I live in Germany, so I might be missing some extra context and possible dog whistles.

When talking about immigration, sometimes we on the left fall into the mistake of promoting policies that only help capitalist exploitation while disguising it as progressive action. It’s a tough balancing act and that’s how I interpreted her party’s take. Maybe I’m missing something more problematic that she has said before. Also if, I remember correctly, in the manifesto they talk positively about refugees.

That being said I find her takes on “wokeism”, COVID and “idpolitics” a bit more concerning. I understand being tired of some parties that lib it up and sideline other struggles, but this are essential causes that cannot be separated from the whole proletariat fight. Overall I’ve a positive view on her, hopefully we can get a better picture of where the party actually aligns when their actual platform is released.