Demonstration in Berlin against the far right Photo: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press /
This Saturday, massive protests took place in Germany against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which, according to the demonstrators, threatens the country’s democracy. The rallies, organised a month before the parliamentary elections, brought together tens of thousands of people in more than 60 cities. The largest events took place in Berlin and Cologne, DW reports.
In Berlin, at the Brandenburg Gate, more than 35,000 people, according to police, created a “sea of light” using mobile phones to form the word “Resistance”. Organisers said the total number of participants in the capital reached 100,000. In Cologne, about 20,000 people took to the streets, although police initially expected much less – only 5,000.
The protesters, united by the slogan “Putting a barrier in place!”, carried placards with the words “Down with the Nazis” and “AfD is not an alternative”. The participants accused the far-right party of undermining democratic values and inciting hatred, in particular because of its tough anti-immigration stance.
The situation is escalating ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 23 February. According to the latest polls, the AfD is second in the ratings with 20% of support, behind only the conservative CDU/CSU bloc, which has about 30%.
In Halle, where the AfD co-chair Alice Weidel was speaking, protesters gathered for an alternative rally. At the same time, Weidel, speaking to her supporters, stressed the need for “remigration” – a policy of returning immigrants to their homeland, which is a central point of the AfD’s programme.
There were some controversial moments: during Weidel’s speech, American billionaire Elon Musk joined in remotely, supporting her position on migration.
The protests also touched on the topic of security after the tragedy in Aschaffenburg, where an illegal migrant from Afghanistan committed a knife attack. The incident intensified the debate on immigration policy and added fuel to the electoral battle.
