Nicole Blair, a 36-year-old YouTuber who once worked actively as a refugee helper, has explained why she now votes for Germany’s right-wing opposition party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
In 2015, during the height of the migration crisis, she spent time in Budapest, where she saw families camping without food or shelter.
Back in Germany, she threw herself into volunteer work—donating blankets, teaching children, arranging housing, and supporting newcomers. “I was totally passionate. I wanted to be a good person,” she told the Schwäbische Zeitung.
But over time, her enthusiasm faded. While she built friendships and received much gratitude, she also said she met migrants who lied about their background, stole from her, or showed a “sense of entitlement.”
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Pregnant at the time, Blair refused vaccination because of fears about long-term effects. “Suddenly I was the outsider. Friends distanced themselves. … I even thought about leaving Germany,” she recalled.
Ahead of the 2021 Bundestag election, Blair decided to re-engage with politics. She read every party’s manifesto in full. “To my surprise, the AfD’s programme made sense to me,” she said.
What stood out most was its migration policy. “It didn’t say ‘all foreigners out.’ It said people who integrate are welcome, but those who commit crimes or lose their right to asylum should return. That sounded logical.” She also agreed with AfD positions on family, education, and the economy.
Blair rejects the label of extremism. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classifies the AfD as “right-wing extremist”. To this she responds, “I see myself as critical, not extreme. I’m for democracy, for rule of law, against violence. If wanting laws to be respected is enough to be called extremist, then something is wrong.”
She also opposes the so-called firewall that other parties maintain against cooperation with the AfD. “If millions of people vote for a party, it belongs in the debate. … If the second strongest party in the Bundestag is excluded, it only divides society further,” she said.
Blair stresses that she does not oppose genuine asylum seekers. “People who are really persecuted must get help. But many I met openly admitted … they came for a better life. That’s understandable, but it’s not what asylum is for,” she stressed.
She argues that encouraging young men to rebuild their home countries would be “more respectful and compassionate” than offering long-term welfare in Germany.
Her YouTube channel, launched shortly before the 2021 election, quickly attracted hundreds of thousands of views. Many viewers, she says, thanked her for voicing doubts they shared but were afraid to express.
