HAVE REPORTED ON THE NEWSHOUR

ABOUT REFUGEES HAVE BEEN FOCUSED

ON TRAGEDY AND STRUGGLE BUT

TONIGHT, A GLIMPSE OF LIGHT.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT MALCOLM

BRABANT REPORTS FROM SOUTHERN

GERMANY WHERE EVEN AS

ANTI-IMMIGRANT SENTIMENT IS

RISING, A YOUNG SYRIAN REFUGEE

HAS JUST BECOME A CITY'S MAYOR.

>> GERMANY IS A COUNTRY THAT HAS

GIVEN HOPE TO MANY IN THE PAST.

REPORTER: IN A SMALL TOWN ON THE

EDGE OF THE BLACK FOREST, A

SOCIAL REVOLUTION IS TAKING ITS

FIRST TENTATIVE STEPS.

EIGHT YEARS AFTER RYYAN ALSHAEBL

ARRIVED IN GERMANY AS A

20-YEAR-OLD REFUGEE, THE PEOPLE

OF OSTELSEIN HAVE ENTRUSTED HIM

TO BE THEIR MAYOR.

>> I AM THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT

LOVES AND LIKES TO BE LOVED

I ALWAYS FELT THIS LOVE OVER THE

PAST 8 YEARS AND I'M GRATEFUL

FOR THIS.

I'D LIKE TO GIVE BACK WHERE

POSSIBLE AND WITH SUCH A PUBLIC

OFFICE IT IS POSSIBLE.

REPORTER: THE NEW MAYOR'S

ELECTION WAS A VICTORY OF GERMAN

PRAGMATISM OVER SENTIMENT. HE

EARNED HIS SPURS WORKING FOR

FOUR YEARS AS AN ADMINISTRATOR

IN A NEIGHBOURING TOWN.

HE HAS BECOME AN INSPIRATION FOR

THE 8000 SYRIANS THAT SETTLED IN

GERMANY.

>> THIS VILLAGE IS EXCEPTIONAL.

REPORTER: FOR THE PAST FOUR

YEARS IT'S BEEN HOME FOR ADIL, A

COMPUTER ENGINEER FROM THE

DEVASTATED CITY OF ALEPPO.

>> THIS SHOWS THE QUALITY OF

COMPETENCE HERE IN THIS COUNTRY,

SO THE ONE WHO GETS THE RIGHT

SKILLS WILL GET THE JOB.

REPORTER: ONE OF THE MAYOR'S

ELECTION PLEDGES WAS TO CREATE

MORE KINDERGARTEN PLACES, WHICH

STRUCK A CHORD WITH LOCAL

FAMILIES.

KAI SCHUBERT WORKS IN

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND IS

ALARMED THAT IN COMMON WITH

OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES,

GERMANY APPEARS TO BE LEANING

RIGHT.

>> I THINK THAT IN GERMANY THE

RIGHT-WING TENDENCIES ARE VERY,

VERY LOUD AND VERY, VERY LARGE,

ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERNET.

BUT THE REST OF GERMANY IS MORE

RESTRAINED.

REPORTER: DEBBIE DORN IS PICKING

UP HER GRANDSON.

A NATIVE NEW YORKER, SHE'S LIVED

IN GERMANY FOR 41 YEARS.

>> THE MAIN THING IS HE LEARNED

GERMAN AND RESPECTS THE GERMAN

LAW.

AND THAT IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT AS

A FOREIGNER.

THAT IS WHAT THE GERMANS WANT.

THEY'RE TAKING IN REFUGEES AND

THEY WANT TO HELP, BUT THEY WANT

THE PEOPLE THAT COME HERE, THEY

WANT THEM TO RESPECT THE GERMAN

LAW AND OUR GERMAN WAY OF

LIVING.

REPORTER: OSTELSHEIM'S NEW MAYOR

TOOK THE SAME TRAIL TO EUROPE AS

MOST OTHER SYRIAN REFUGEES,

SLEEPING ON THE STREETS IN

TURKEY BEFORE SMUGGLERS PACKED

THEM INTO UNSEAWORTHY RUBBER

DINGHIES AND POINTED THEM

TOWARDS THE GREEK ISLAND OF

LESBOS.

HE LANDED IN THE AUTUMN OF 2015,

JUST BEFORE EUROPE SEALED ITS

BORDERS.

>> IT WAS SO TERRIFYING THAT TWO

HOURS INTO THE CROSSING I BEGAN

SERIOUSLY ASKING MYSELF WHAT IT

WOULD FEEL LIKE TO DROWN?

REPORTER: THIS IS A TALE OF TWO

CITIES.

AFTER OSTELSHEIM, WE TRAVELLED

200 MILES NORTH TO SONNEBERG IN

THE STATE OF THURINGIA IN FORMER

EAST GERMANY.

IN JUNE, VOTERS GAVE A MAJOR

VICTORY TO THE ANTI-IMMIGRANT

ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY, OR AFD,

BY ELECTING ROBERT SESSELMAN AS

THE PARTY'S FIRST EVER HEAD OF A

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.

>> THE SONNEBERG DISTRICT IS

MAKING HISTORY.

THE AFD HAS NOW ARRIVED AS A

PEOPLE'S PARTY HERE ON THE

MUNICIPAL LEVEL IN THURINGIA,

AND ALSO IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC

OF GERMANY.

REPORTER: THE AFD HOPES THIS

LANDMARK SUCCESS WILL LEAD TO

THE PARTY TAKING CONTROL OF

OTHER REGIONAL AND STATE

INSTITUTIONS.

AS THIS VIDEO DECLARES, THE AFD

HAS COME A LONG WAY IN THE PAST

10 YEARS.

>> WE WILL HUNT THEM DOWN AND WE

WILL TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY AND

OUR PEOPLE.

REPORTER: "WE ARE THE PEOPLE,"

THE CHANT OF EAST GERMANS BEFORE

THE WALL CAME DOWN, HAS BEEN

ADOPTED AS THE PARTY'S SLOGAN.

BUT IT HAS MORE SINISTER

OVERTONES FOR THOMAS HALDENWANG,

THE HEAD OF THE DOMESTIC

INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, AS HE

REPORTS ON A RISE OF RIGHT-WING

EXTREMISM.

>> WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON

THE ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY

PARTY AS A SUSPICIOUS CASE,

BECAUSE WE SEE A VERY STRONG

CURRENT OF PEOPLE WITHIN THIS

PARTY WHO ARE OPPOSED TO OUR

CONSTITUTION.

AND WE SEE A LOT OF HATRED AND

AGITATION AGAINST MINORITIES OF

ALL KINDS THERE.

REPORTER: INGO SCHREURS SPEAKS

ON BEHALF OF THE AFD, AND HE

BELIEVES THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

IS BIASED AGAINST THOSE WHO

OPPOSE ESTABLISHMENT IDEAS.

WHEN IT COMES TO IMMIGRATION,

GERMANY'S POPULATION, THE ETHNIC

POPULATION IS DECLINING AND YOU

SUPPORT THE WELFARE STATE.

>> WE WANT TO CHOOSE WHO IS

IMMIGRATING, LIKE ANY OTHER

COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

THE U.S. HAS STRICT REGULATIONS

FOR WHO WAS COMING INTO YOUR

COUNTRY AND WHO IS NOT AND WE

WANT THE SAME THING FOR US.

REPORTER: GERMANY'S CHANCELLOR

OLAF SCHULTZ HAS DISMISSED THE

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AFD'S

SUCCESS IN SONNEBERG.

OLAF SCHOLZ: I AM QUITE

CONFIDENT THAT AFD WON'T PERFORM

MUCH DIFFERENTLY AT THE NEXT

FEDERAL ELECTION THAN IT DID AT

THE LAST.

REPORTER: POLITICAL ANALYST TIMO

LOCHOCKI SAYS VOTERS ARE UNHAPPY

AT THE MAJOR PARTIES' FAILURE TO

ADDRESS CONCERNS OVER MIGRATION

AND WARNS AGAINST COMPLACENCY.

>> THAT IS WHY MOST VOTERS

INTENT TO VOTE FOR THE FAR

RIGHT.

THEY WANT TO PUT PRESSURE ON THE

OTHERS TO COME UP WITH A PLAN.

REPORTER: THIS SCULPTURE OF A

JEWISH FAMILY HEADING FOR CATTLE

CARS AND A DEATH CAMP SPEAKS TO

THE ULTIMATE DANGERS OF

RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM.

THE CENTRAL COUNCIL OF JEWS IN

GERMANY HAS DESCRIBED THE AFD'S

SUCCESS AS A WATERSHED THAT

DEMOCRATIC FORCES CANNOT ACCEPT.

IS THERE AN ASSURANCE YOU CAN

GIVE TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

THAT THEY HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR?

>> OF COURSE.

BECAUSE THIS CLAIM THAT THE

AFD'S ANTISEMITIC IS JUST A

MEDIA HOAX.

REPORTER: THAT'S NOT THE

EXPERIENCE OF OPTICIAN MARGRET

STURM, WHO RECEIVED NUMEROUS

DEATH THREATS AFTER SPEAKING OUT

AGAINST THE AFD.

>> WE GOT CALLS FROM PEOPLE WE

DON'T KNOW, WHO DON'T KNOW OUR

BUSINESS.

IT STARTED WITH A CALLER

THREATENING TO SEND US A PIZZA

TOPPED WITH ZYKLON B AND SAYING

WE SHOULD ENJOY IT.

REPORTER: STUDENTS OF THE

HOLOCAUST WILL RECOGNISE THE

SIGNIFICANCE OF ZYKLON B.

IT WAS THE CYANIDE-BASED POISON

USED IN NAZI GAS CHAMBERS TO

MURDER MILLIONS OF JEWS.

DESPITE CONCERNS ABOUT HER

SAFETY, MARGRET STURM REFUSES TO

BE SILENCED.

>> I'VE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE TO

STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT. BECAUSE

IF WE DON'T MOBILIZE CIVIL

SOCIETY, THINGS ARE GOING TO GET

REALLY BAD.

REPORTER: THERE'S AN OPTICIAN IN

THIS TOWN WHO SAYS SHE'S HAD

DEATH THREATS FOR SPEAKING OUT

AGAINST THE AFD, WHAT DO YOU

THINK OF THAT?

>> I THINK IT IS DISGUSTING.

I DO NOT KNOW WHO DOES THAT BUT

EVERYWHERE YOU WILL FIND CRAZY

PEOPLE, HATEFUL PEOPLE.

REPORTER: ONCE A WEEK IN

SONNEBERG, THERE ARE

ANTI-GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATIONS

WHICH MATCH THE AFD'S PLATFORM.

IS THIS THE EXAMPLE THAT GERMAN

WILL FOLLOW?

OR WILL IT EMULATE OSTELSHEIM

WHERE ADIL, THE SYRIAN COMPUTER

ENGINEER, HAS GREAT

EXPECTATIONS?

>> IT SHOWS HERE THAT THE LIMIT

IS THE SKY.

I HOPE TO GO TO IMPORTANT

POSITIONS IN GERMANY.

REPORTER: WHILE MILLIONS OF

MIGRANTS AND GERMANS WISH RYYAN

ALSHAEBL EVERY SUCCESS, THERE

ARE OTHERS WILLING HIM TO FAIL.

THE BURDEN ON HIS YOUNG

SHOULDERS IS ENORMOUS.

FOR "THE PBS NEWSHOUR," I'M

MALCOLM BRABANT IN SOUTHERN

GERMANY.

♪