AfD on culture and media

The AfD wants to fundamentally reorganize public broadcasting, which it considers unbalanced, politically one-sided and too close to government. To do so, it wants to terminate the interstate treaties, abolish the broadcasting fee and sharply reduce the number of broadcasters.

The AfD wants to change public broadcasting a lot. Nobody should have to pay the broadcasting fee anymore. There should be far fewer public stations. They should only offer the basics, such as news. The AfD says public broadcasting today is one-sided and too expensive.

A slimmed-down broadcaster would be limited to basic service: news, information, science and regional content. Local administrations would stop pursuing people who have not paid the fee. The platform criticizes gender-inclusive language, offerings such as the children's channel and "Funk", high staff and pension costs, and scandals at the broadcasters. Supervisory bodies staffed along party lines should have no influence. The broadcasters' online offerings should not distort competition with private providers, and licenses and frequencies should be awarded without discrimination.

The AfD wants to write German as the official language into the Thuringian constitution and the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). This would oblige the state to cultivate the language and counter its neglect. The party rejects gender-inclusive language.

The AfD wants to put German into the constitution. The constitution is the most important law. The state should then protect and care for the German language. The AfD is against gender-inclusive wording.

The program sees language as the bond among Germans and between Germans and foreigners living in the country. It names globalization, migration and a low regard for the country's own culture in business and academia as threats. The party views gender-inclusive language as a political attack meant to influence citizens and destroy traditions. Anchoring German in both constitutions is meant to oblige the state to cultivate the language.

The AfD wants to preserve the network of theaters and orchestras and fund it reliably. At the same time, it criticizes rising subsidies in individual cases and wants cultural funding arranged so that grassroots culture is not disadvantaged. It wants to end what it sees as a one-sided political orientation of theaters.

The AfD wants to keep theaters and orchestras. They should get reliable funding. But the AfD says some theaters cost too much. Public pools and Christmas markets should stay too. Theaters should not do party politics.

The program cites Erfurt as an example of subsidies that keep rising while municipal swimming pools, for instance, close for lack of money. It calls for an open debate aimed at a fair split between high culture and grassroots culture. Folk culture offerings such as Christmas markets and outdoor pools should remain, especially in rural areas. Municipalities should not be forced by federal and state mandates to cut back on culture. Where publicly funded theaters, in the party's view, follow a party-political line, it sees artistic freedom at risk.

The AfD wants towns, municipalities and regions to have more room to fund culture themselves. It says this would counter what it sees as a centralized and politicized cultural sector.

The AfD wants more culture funding at the local level. Towns should decide more on their own. The AfD says politics interferes too much in culture. It wants to change that.

In the AfD's view, the cultural sector is too close to politics, creating a kind of state art. As a first step, local governments should get more leeway in funding. Artists who find no recognition in the current political environment should be able to show their work elsewhere, for example in independent annual exhibitions. Local administrations should generously provide space for this.

The AfD wants to preserve Thuringia's monuments, especially in rural areas, and calls for state support for municipalities. At the same time, heritage protection rules should not make private renovations unprofitable.

The AfD wants to keep Thuringia's monuments. The state should help towns with this. The rules for protected buildings should not be too strict. Otherwise owners cannot afford to renovate.

The platform describes monuments as testimony to culture, history and identity. Besides well-known sites such as the Wartburg, it mentions regionally important and privately owned listed buildings. The state should give municipalities adequate support for upkeep. For buildings of no public interest, the rules should allow renovation or conversion for private use to remain profitable. Requirements must not in effect prevent the preservation of listed buildings.

The AfD wants to clear the investment backlog at Thuringia's palaces, castles and gardens. It calls for adjusting current financing plans to higher construction prices and for a further special program after 2027.

Thuringia has many palaces and gardens. Many of them need repairs. The AfD wants more money for this. After 2027 there should be a new program.

The platform points to Thuringia's heritage of former princely residences and its importance for tourism. The AfD welcomes the federal Sonderinvestitionsprogramm 1 (special investment program), which provides 200 million euros for cultural assets in the state through 2027. Because construction prices have risen, the financing plans should be reviewed and adjusted. A follow-up program should come afterward.

The AfD commits to values of Christian origin and to the separation of church and state. It criticizes churches in Thuringia for taking political positions and sees this as a failure of their mission.

The AfD stands by Christian values. Church and state should stay separate. The AfD says the churches do too much politics. They should focus on caring for people's souls.

According to the platform, Christianity shaped European culture and ideas of freedom. The AfD condemns antisemitism and points to values shared by Judaism and Christianity. It accuses the churches of adopting the state government's agenda and campaigning against the opposition. As examples it cites church asylum, advocacy for immigration and climate protection, gender-inclusive language and the churches' stance during the COVID period. In the party's view, pastoral care and mission should be the focus.