Germany sees huge turnout as 150,000 march against AfD
Photo: rally against AfD in Germany (Getty Images)
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in about 20 German cities to protest against the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD). The demonstrations occurred following the party's decisive victory in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, according to Al Jazeera.
According to organizers, approximately 150,000 people participated in the protests overall. The rallies were organized by the campaign Pruef, which advocates for banning the AfD. Demonstrators held signs with slogans such as "Ban AfD now" and "Democracy doesn't need alternatives."
Christoph Bautz, head of another organization - Campact - which also joined the protests, stated that representatives from a broad spectrum of civil society took to the streets. According to him, the goal of the protests is to prevent those he called enemies of the constitution from coming to power.
Meanwhile, separate pro-AfD rallies also took place in Berlin. Kristin Brinker, the party's leading candidate for the upcoming Berlin state parliament elections, participated in the counter-demonstration, among others.
The protests followed AfD's results in the Saxony-Anhalt elections on September 6. The party received nearly 44% of the vote there, significantly ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union, which garnered about 17%.
The next two state elections in Germany are scheduled for September 20, including in Berlin. According to Al Jazeera, polls predict a strong result for the AfD in these elections as well.
Context of the news
Germany wants to limit far-right AfD members' access to war secrets. There are concerns that party members could leak information to Russians.
One of the AfD leaders called for lifting all sanctions on the Kremlin and halting aid to Ukraine. The AfD praises Orban for tying Hungary's energy system to supplies from Moscow.
Also, former Ukrainian Consul in Munich, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Free University Dmitry Shevchenko, noted that an AfD victory could lead to changes in Berlin's assistance to Ukraine and Ukrainians. However, he distinguished between types of assistance: military aid and refugee assistance.
