Dresden is Saxony's capital, and has a track record of support for far-right and right-wing populist parties, including the neo-Nazi NPD. The City Council adopted a motion in order to strengthen democratic culture in order to face right-wing ideology.
Last week, the City Council of Dresden, in Germany, declared a "Nazi emergency" as right-wing extremist movements gain more popularity and political power. Indeed, Dresden is where the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement was created and it's also where right-wing extremist movements usually hold rallies. This year, the anti-immigrant AfD won 27.5 percent of the vote in Saxony state election.
Max Aschenbach, a councillor for the satirical political party known as The Party proposed a motion to declare Nazinotstand in Dresden. Adopted with 39 votes against 29, the motion refers to state emergency as the nazi emergency in Dresden represents a threat to democracy, freedom and minorities.
Such a motion is mainly symbolic but the idea is also to reinforce the democratic culture, protect disadvantaged minorities, human rights and victims of far-right violence as well as the commitment against the origins of the right-wing extremist movement and its consequences, including anti-Semitism, racism and Islamophobia.
More information:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50266955
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nazi-emergency-dresden-germany-far-right-extremism-a9182691.html
Dresden City Council: https://www.dresden.de/index_en.php
Join the OIDP