People gather  to protest against far right AfD party — AP

Agencies ROTT AM INN (Germany)

Outside a disused lamp factory in the southeastern German village of Rott am Inn, four mannequins, including one holding a baby, are squashed against the wall next to two bunk beds. The display, meant to symbolise Germany's struggle to cope with refugees, is part of a protest against local authorities' plans to house 300 migrants at the site. The plan has sparked more than a dozen demonstrations, a petition with 4,000 signatures and three pending lawsuits.

Such protests reflect wider debate about migration ahead of national elections on February 23 in Germany, where support for the hard-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged. Migration ranks among voters' top concerns.

The issue shows a profound shift in German public sentiment since its "Refugees Welcome" culture during Europe's migrant crisis in 2015. "We do not have the infrastructure capacity to accommodate so many people at once in our community," said Korbinian Hein, 24, the son of the owner of a freight company located in front of the Rott am Inn site.

"Our town has 2,200 residents, and now they plan to house 300 refugees here. That is a glaring imbalance in relation to the population size." Support for the AfD rose 7 percentage points in Rott am Inn in European Parliament elections last year from 2021 as the party tapped local frustrations over the shelter plans.

"I don’t understand how anyone can justify putting young asylum seekers in such a situation or risk disturbing the peace in the village," Leyla Bilge, AfD candidate for the nearby Bavarian city of Rosenheim, told Reuters. "Our town has 2,200 residents, and now they plan to house 300 refugees here. That is a glaring imbalance in relation to the population size."

Nearly 40% of municipalities in Germany described their refugee situation as being in "emergency" or "crisis" mode, a survey by the Institute for Democratic Development and Social Integration showed in November.

Nationwide, public opposition to accepting more refugees has increased, climbing to 68% last month from 55% in 2022, according to the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. The federal government allocates 7,500 euros ($7,777) a year per asylum seeker to states but this doesn't count people whose asylum requests were rejected and who remain in Germany.