German far-right AfD issues radical manifesto ahead of key state poll

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) issued a radical manifesto for Saxony-Anhalt on Saturday as parties ramp up campaigning for the closely watched state election in September.

The AfD adopted the manifesto at a state party conference in Magdeburg.

On the issue of migration, the manifesto calls hardline policies through a "deportation and remigration offensive."

However, many migration issues in Germany cannot be regulated at the level of individual states.

That limitation is reflected in the programme’s language stating the party would seek to push such measures through the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, in Berlin.

The AfD also seeks to terminate state broadcasting agreements. Under the proposal, public funding would be conditional on what the party describes as a "credible commitment to the democratic order and a patriotic mindset."

AfD state deputy leader Hans-Thomas Tillschneider said during the presentation of the programme that children do not need anti-racism training, but self-defence courses.

Several hundred people joined protests against the AfD state party conference across Magdeburg, a police spokeswoman told dpa.

The far-right party is expected to post big gains in the election in Saxony-Anhalt, including the possibility of winning an outright majority of seats in the state parliament.