Far-right party gains political foothold in Germany

Germany's government has called for tolerance and respect to be upheld after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won control of a county administration for the first time. The victory of AfD's candidate, Robert Sesselmann, was criticized by anti-racism campaigners and others. AfD's recent surge in national polls has unnerved mainstream parties in a country where the rise of fascism during the 1920s and 1930s is still a core subject in schools. Thuringia, where Sonneberg is located, was one of the first power bases of Adolf Hitler's National Socialist Party.