For some reason the recent election in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt got me to thinking about Minneapolis. The success of the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) reminded me of the success of a far right political party in Germany a century ago.
The thought of armed thugs kicking in doors and dragging innocent people from their homes in 1930’s Germany resonated with the behaviour of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis earlier this year. In late 2025, the U.S. government unleashed a campaign of mass detention and deportation in the city, called Operation Metro Surge.
Even though Minnesota has a relatively small number of undocumented immigrants, the operation was massive. Ultimately 3.000 ICE agents, plus 1,000 Border Patrol agents, were deployed, outnumbering Minneapolis police officers at the peak of the campaign over five to one.
And it was deadly. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney described the ground plan: “They were, like, ‘Occupy Minneapolis like it was Falluja.’ ” President Trump intended to teach this progressive state a lesson, posting on Truth Social, “Fear not, great people of Minnesota, the day of reckoning & retribution is coming.”
Two Minnesotans died as a result. Renée Good and Alex Pretti, both peaceful protesters, were shot down in cold blood—martyrs in the defence of American decency, if not in the defence of American democracy, or indeed of the very republic itself.
Minneapolitans resisted the occupation vigorously. They implemented patrols to track ICE agents and maintained groups with whistles outside local businesses and schools to warn of agents. They piled groceries in driveways and church parking lots for distribution to people afraid to leave their homes. They raised millions to support detainees after they were released from custody. The C.E.O. of a biotech firm donated 29 million dollars to rent-relief efforts. The mayor, Jacob Frey, made his position clear, instructing the agents to “get the fuck out of Minneapolis.”
This spirited public response didn’t come out of nowhere. Minnesota has a history of labour union and indigenous activism dating back to the 19th century. As part of the mass protests after the infamous George Floyd murder by local police, residents organized block associations led by captains. These became important during the occupation.
What would have happened one wonders if the good people of Minneapolis had not risen up in outrage? How far would Trump have gone in intimidating and oppressing their city, and other cities he didn’t like? And how else might he have used his private police force?
This resistance to fascist thuggery is why I still have faith in America, despite an astonishing erosion of the country’s institutions. What other people would oppose with such unity and spirit the abuse of their neighbours, when those neighbours were not like them? What other people wouldn’t just lock their doors and close their curtains?
This brings me back to the success of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt. It’s only one small state so perhaps nothing to worry about. But they do spout Nazi slogans and they do threaten today’s favourite scapegoats—immigrants. And Germany is struggling economically as it was after WWI, so the poison could spread.
I cannot help but wonder if the Germans had risen up to defend their Jewish neighbours as the Minneapolitans rose up to defend their immigrant neighbours, if there would never have been a Holocaust, or even a WWII.
If the AfD does metastasize into nation-wide fascism, the Germans may yet have the opportunity to emulate the Minnesotans and protect their beleaguered neighbours, to say nothing of preserving their democracy. Or, like their compatriots of the 1930s, they could simply succumb to their worst instincts.
But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.