As Martin Kohler drove toward the Berlin neighborhood of Neuk\u00f6lln, he gave a warning of what the man sitting next to him was about to witness. \u201cGermany is changing really fast,\u201d he said. The passenger, Wesley Winter, nodded at Kohler\u2019s words, listening with rapt attention while training his video camera on Kohler.<\/p>\n
Soon after the duo stepped out onto Sonnenallee, Neuk\u00f6lln\u2019s main drag, Winter could not contain his shock from the camera. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like a parallel universe,\u201d he breathed, as he pointed his camera at a barbershop with Turkish advertisements and a Palestinian flag swaying from a window above. Along the street, kebab shops sizzled, sending the aroma of roasting meat drifting through the cold winter air. Shoppers browsed clothing outlets that advertised headscarves and grocery stores that boasted halal meat.<\/p>\n
Letting loose a grim laugh, Kohler surveyed the scene. His conclusion was blunt: \u201cNo integration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walking past local food stores and community centers, Kohler spoke about how immigrant-populated neighborhoods like the one in Neuk\u00f6lln were cropping up across the city. \u201cFirst,\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s one kebab shop. And then on the opposite side there opens a shisha bar, [then] a shop for halal meat. And even more, you have a street where Muslims are feeling quite well. And then more are coming.\u201d Winter, an up-and-coming right-wing YouTuber from England, asked him in a concerned tone whether the average German wanted this expansion in a city like Berlin. Without missing a beat, Kohler replied, \u201cNo. Absolutely not. That\u2019s why so many Germans [are] leaving Berlin.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video that Winter published<\/a> from his tour with Kohler, titled \u201cGermany is Out of Control,\u201d garnered more than 270,000 views. In it, Kohler, a rising voice in Germany\u2019s far-right Alternative f\u00fcr Deutschland (AfD) party, could share his message with the world. Berlin, he conveyed, was under attack from a hostile population of Muslim migrants that preferred reproducing their own culture in Germany to assimilating into the existing society. This narrative, which Kohler\u2019s party has been pushing nationwide to justify its hardline stance on immigration, catapulted AfD forward to become one of the largest and most energetic political movements in the country. Winning<\/a> over 20 percent of the vote share in the 2025 federal elections, the AfD now tops<\/a> opinion polls as the most favored party nationwide.<\/p>\n This narrative may find success among Germany\u2019s electorate as a whole. But it\u2019s a different story in Berlin, where Kohler stands as a party representative. At the state level, a center-right SPD\/CDU coalition is firmly in power, a large left-wing bloc wields influence, and people are skeptical of the AfD\u2019s restrictive approach to migration. Internally, the state party faces challenges, too. It has been plagued<\/a> by a history of infighting and incompetence; one former member accused AfD Berlin of embodying<\/a> \u201cunambitious mediocrity and opportunistic indifference.\u201d The confident authority with which Kohler spoke during Winter\u2019s video belied these challenges, which have impeded AfD\u2019s ability to generate and then capitalize on anti-migration fears in Berlin<\/p>\n Kohler, though, has not given up on winning over Berlin. \u201cAs a patriot,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you give up the capital city, you can give up the whole project of getting in power and conquering your country back.\u201d<\/p>\n What would it take for Kohler and his peers to turn AfD\u2019s ship around in Berlin? And what would this mean for AfD\u2019s national chances if they succeed?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As Martin Kohler drove toward the Berlin neighborhood of Neuk\u00f6lln, he gave a warning of what the man sitting next to him was about to witness. \u201cGermany is changing really fast,\u201d he said. The passenger, Wesley Winter, nodded at Kohler\u2019s words, listening with rapt attention while training his video camera on Kohler. Soon after the<\/p>\n