[Video transcript]
Carnival in Germany. A chance to mock the political establishment.
Here in the east, that now includes the AfD.
But while they take a jab at the far right's lack of vision, there are plenty here who say they backed the Alternative for Germany.
First woman: "We wanted to change something. Quite simply in politics, because it's always just about wealth. And the small businesses, they can pack up because of the last government. They've ruined a lot of things."
Second woman: "If you have the chance to change things, then you change them. Even if that is through the AfD."
In the past, AfD voters have been reluctant to talk on camera about backing the party. Not anymore. Some vote out of frustration.
Sausage seller: "Because the others had their chance and they produced so much crap. You can’t trust them anymore."
Others point to recent deadly attacks carried out by migrants.
Woman: "It can't keep going the way things have been going in Germany. With all these attacks, they are all stacking up. I was hoping for some positive change in our country."
Man: "I voted for the AfD because things are in a mess in Germany. My problem started in 2015, when the borders were opened."
Perhaps surprisingly, the anti-immigration AfD is most successful in places with fewer foreigners.
Some scientists attribute this to a lack of positive experiences with immigrants.
Over lunch we meet a man who didn't vote for the AfD.
Man: "I used to be a bit right-wing. During East German times, it was a bit worse. I come from Eberswalde which used to be really far-right. But I've got a great colleague I always worked well with. I got to see a different side."
DW reporter: "So your colleague has a migration background. What did that do for you?"
Man: "It's all fine. He's 30 years old and has been working with us for eight or nine years. He's always there."
Back at the Carnival, frustration when asked about the AfD.
Man: "It’s been the same story for thousands of years. It's been foreigners and others to blame, not yourself. If you don't stand up for society, if you don't take responsibility but just crow about the many foreigners, the poor people who don't want to go to work. It's all just stupid stuff."
Today, carnival is the preferred antidote to the politics of populism.
But in the long term, politicians may need to come up with a better answer.