A coalition of unions and academic organizations has raised alarms over AfD’s plans to reshape higher education in Saxony-Anhalt.

A broad alliance of unions, student representatives, and academic organizations has issued a warning ahead of state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, criticizing the AfD’s proposed university policies. The coalition, which includes the Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW), Verdi, student councils, and equality representatives, condemned the AfD’s plans to limit democratic participation in universities, abolish equality officers, and impose stricter political directives on research.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) also expressed concern, with its president, Katja Becker, stating that the AfD’s program threatens academic freedom. Becker highlighted the party’s intention to curtail research fields like Gender Studies and climate change studies, while promoting others based on ideological preferences. She warned that such policies undermine the principles of democracy and an open society, emphasizing that science and democracy thrive on critical thinking and independent inquiry.