It is a spring evening in Germany's eastern city of Cottbus, and dozens of people have crowded into a small venue to hear a man who once dubbed himself the "friendly face" of National Socialism Nazism.
Two other men with prior links to extremist groups are also in the room, including a candidate for forthcoming state elections. However, by investigating the past of these three men, the BBC has found a clear crossover between AfD figures and far-right networks, some of which are classed as anti-democratic or racist by German authorities.
Stephan Kramer, a regional spy chief in eastern Germany, has told the BBC the AfD now poses a danger to the "roots" of democracy, as the party eyes electoral gains in three states in the east this autumn: Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. Ahead of next month's European elections the AfD, beset by extremism and corruption allegations, has dipped in the polls but still consistently places second nationwide.
Matthias Helferich's speech in Cottbus was all about "remigration" - a burgeoning concept within Europe's far right about mass "returns" or deportations. The BBC asked to attend his talk but was told there wasn't space. Elected to Germany's Bundestag in , he was effectively barred from joining the AfD's parliamentary faction, after damaging Facebook exchanges came to light dating back to In leaked remarks Mr Helfrich mentions Nazism several times, including an apparent description of himself as the "friendly face" of National Socialism and as a "democratic Freisler" - a reference to Nazi-era judge, Roland Freisler.
Mr Helferich told the BBC he didn't seriously call himself the friendly face of Nazism at all but was merely "parodying" left wingers online. You ridicule it. He continues to hold AfD roles at a local level and, as Cottbus shows, is welcomed within some party circles as an unapologetic proponent of "remigration". Many view the term as little more than a euphemism for the large-scale expulsion of people with migrant backgrounds, brought about by force or political pressure.
