- Anti-AfD protests across Germany
- Far-right migration plans exposed
- Leaders condemn right-wing extremism
In Germany, hundreds of thousands of individuals demonstrated against the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party by taking to the streets in various cities and villages.
On Sunday, anti-AfD demonstrations took place in Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin. Additionally, there were protests in Cologne and Munich, which are more conventional AfD strongholds in eastern Germany.
National polls position the AfD second, trailing the principal centre-right opposition bloc but ahead of government parties. However, protests against the far-right party gained momentum following an investigative news website Correctiv report on January 10. The report exposed discussions at a gathering of German right-wing extremists. These discussions included migration policies, such as mass deportations of people of foreign origin.
Martin Sellner, a leader of Austria’s Identitarian Movement, was present at the discussions. His organisation posits that non-white migrants are conspiring to supplant the “native” white population of Europe.
The AfD has refuted the alleged migration plans as party policy.
Protesters outside the German parliament in Berlin on Sunday hoisted banners reading “No place for Nazis” and “Nazis out”.
In Munich, protest organisers estimated that 200,000 individuals were in attendance. However, the event had to be shortened early due to excessive congestion.
Katrin Delrieux, 53, expressed her optimism to AFP in Munich that the far-right protests would “cause a great number of individuals to reconsider their positions.”
“Some may be unsure whether or not they will vote for the AfD, but they cannot after this demonstration,” she said.
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Steffi Kirschenmann, a demonstrator in Frankfurt, told Reuters that the rallies “send a message to the world that we will not tolerate this without taking action.”
In the interim, authorities in Dresden, the capital of the eastern region of Saxony and the current polling leader of the far-right party, were compelled to alter the route of a demonstration march.
The procession was extended to accommodate the “enormous number of participants,” according to Dresden police on the social media platform X.
Businesses and politicians adopt a stance
The chairman of the supervisory board of Siemens Energy, Joe Kaeser, told Reuters that the reports [disclosed by Correctiv] evoke “bitter memories” among business executives.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany has expressed his endorsement of the nationwide rallies, perceiving them as a demonstration of solidarity in opposition to right-wing extremism.
Steinmeier stated in a Sunday video message, “You are opposing misanthropy and right-wing extremism; these individuals inspire all of us.
Last weekend, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz participated in a demonstration where he emphasised that any proposal to expel citizens or immigrants constituted “an assault on our democracy, and consequently, on all of us.”
“Everyone should take a stand – for cohesion, tolerance, and our democratic Germany,” he urged.
