Daniel Wolfram
Tens of thousand of people across Germany used their Saturday to protest a potential new political right turn.
Over the weekend, around 150,000 people took to the streets across 20 German cities to demand action against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
From Berlin to Hamburg and Munich, crowds packed public plazas in rallies organised by ardent opponents of the far-right ideology.
Nationwide protests
Protesters held signs reading “Ban the AfD now” and “Democracy needs no alternatives.”
Organisers said the massive turnout reflects deep alarm over the far-right group. Christoph Bautz, head of advocacy group Campact, praised the crowds for standing up against anti-constitutional forces.
“A broad cross-section of civil society is taking to the streets to prevent the enemies of the constitution … from gaining government power,” Bautz said, according to Al Jazeera.
AfD gets shocking election win
While roughly 150,000 Germans took to the streets to protest, the AfD held a counter-rally in Berlin.
The massive protests come after a recent resounding victory for the AfD in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which lies near Berlin. The AfD took nearly 44 percent of the vote, beating Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union soundly.
If the AfD forms a coalition, it will become the first far-right movement to lead a German state since Nazi Germany in 1945.
AfD signals willingness to govern across party lines
“The people have made it absolutely clear that they finally want political change and, above all, they have shown that they want it with us,” AfD state leader Siegmund said.
After winning, Siegmund signaled that AfD is willing to govern with the rest of the parties in the state.
However, mainstream political groups continue to maintain a strict “firewall,” refusing to partner with the far-right.
