Mass Demonstrations Across Germany Challenge AfD’s Rise After State Election Victory

Approximately 150,000 demonstrators took to the streets across Germany on Saturday, protesting against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) following their recent electoral triumph in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The party, which seeks to establish the first extreme-right state government in Germany since World War II, secured an overwhelming share of the vote in the region.

Protesters, calling for the AfD’s ban, gathered in roughly 20 cities including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, waving banners with messages such as “Ban the AfD Now” and “Democracy Needs No Alternatives.” Christoph Bautz, head of the campaign group Campact, which organized the demonstrations, emphasized the urgency of preventing the AfD from gaining power, stating, “A broad cross-section of civil society is taking to the streets to prevent the enemies of the constitution, the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, from gaining government power.”

Mounting concerns over the AfD’s rise have intensified calls to prohibit the party, with many Germans citing their nation’s historical responsibility to oppose extremism. However, legal pathways to ban the group remain complex. Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the center-right CDU party has expressed reservations about pursuing such measures.

In Berlin, police confirmed thousands participated in multiple demonstrations, while the AfD held its own counter-event attended by Kristin Brinker, the party’s lead candidate for the upcoming Berlin regional elections. Campact reported 25,000 protesters in Hamburg and 12,000 in Munich. The AfD secured nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt last Sunday, compared to 17% for the CDU, falling just short of an outright majority but initiating coalition discussions to form a state government.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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