Protests across Germany challenge AfD’s bid for state power
Organisers estimate about 150,000 people joined demonstrations in 20 cities after the AfD’s election victory in Saxony-Anhalt.
About 150,000 people demonstrated across Germany on Saturday against the Alternative for Germany (AfD), according to organisers, after the party’s strong result in a state election last week.
Protests were held in around 20 cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. Campact, which was involved in the demonstrations, reported about 25,000 protesters in Hamburg and 12,000 in Munich. The nationwide figure was an estimate and was not independently verified.
The demonstrations were called by Pruef, a group advocating a ban on the AfD. Protesters carried signs including “Ban the AfD now” and “Democracy needs no alternatives”. The AfD also held a counter-demonstration in Berlin.
The protests followed the AfD’s nearly 44 per cent vote in Saxony-Anhalt, compared with 17 per cent for the centre-right CDU. The result left the party three seats short of an absolute majority.
The AfD has begun talks with other groups and MPs about forming a state government. If successful, it could lead to Germany’s first state government led by a party described by France 24 as extreme-right since the Second World War.
Calls for mainstream parties to pursue a formal ban have grown, but Germany’s legal and political hurdles are high. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the CDU remain sceptical about taking that approach.
