“We don’t talk about politics,” said a friend of Mr. Höcke’s wife, who like many villagers did not want her name used. But Mr. Höcke’s remarks, which had shocked even some in his own party though it decided not to expel him, have made that mind-your-own-business custom harder to abide for some. Mr. Ruch insists that the “surveillance” of Mr. Höcke’s home was mostly for show. When Mr. Höcke approached him once to sign a petition, he politely declined. Children are asking “why people are being mean to Mr. Höcke,” Ms. Rinke said.

Source: New York Times December 25, 2017 16:27 UTC