Thousands of people rallied in cities across Germany on Sunday to protest right-wing extremism and demand a ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The demonstrations were organized by the network Together Against the Right and other civil society groups.
In Berlin, protesters gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, with police estimating the crowd at around 4,000 by late afternoon, while organizers claimed approximately 7,500 participants. Around 2,500 demonstrators also took to the streets in Munich, with rallies announced in more than 60 cities nationwide.
Organizers urged political leaders to begin formal proceedings to outlaw the far-right AfD, Germany’s largest opposition party.
In a statement, they argued that the issue of banning the party should be seen not as a political decision, but as a legal matter.
“To clarify this, politicians must find the courage to file a motion for a ban,” it said.
The organizers are calling on the Bundestag and Bundesrat legislative bodies, as well as the new federal government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, to initiate ban proceedings against the AfD before the Federal Constitutional Court.
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The AfD is known for its anti-immigration, anti-Muslim, eurosceptic and nationalist rhetoric. The populist party has been a flashpoint in German political life for more than a decade. It has benefited in recent years by tapping into economic discontent and growing unease over refugees.
There’s definitely education (or lack there of) and propaganda, but the main issue is wealth inequality in this neo liberal, capitalist world
Wages have stagnated and everything is much more expensive. The quality of life of the majority of the population is massively worse than before. Yes we have cool gadgets and better healthcare due to technological advancements but the crux of the matter is that exploitation is tru the roof. People work 2 and 3 jobs and can’t make ends meet. Meanwhile billionaires get richer and richer in increasing pace.
Public services get cut, people get ask to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and they look for someone to blame and are told to look down (to immigrants) instead of up (to the ultra rich).