East German Businesses Battle Xenophobia in ‘Fight for Survival’

  • Siemens, Volkswagen among those taking a stand against racism
  • Firms fear repercussions will worsen skilled worker shortage
Police at an AfD march in Chemnitz on Sept. 1.Photographer: Jens Schlueter/Getty Images
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Hans-Joachim Wunderlich is a worried man.

The head of the chamber of commerce in Chemnitz, a dreary industrial city in eastern Germany, fears that recent violent protests by anti-immigrant, right-wing extremists will spook investors and scare off the skilled foreign workers who are desperately needed in the former communist region.