Germany: Thousands rally against far-right after AfD victory

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in demonstrations across Germany on Saturday, opposing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The AfD had recently achieved a significant victory in the state election of Saxony-Anhalt, with the party now aiming to form the first extreme-right government in Germany since World War II.

Around 150,000 demonstrators gathered in approximately 20 cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, in protests organized by Pruef, which seeks a ban on the AfD. Protesters displayed signs with slogans like "Ban the AfD now" and "Democracy needs no alternatives." A counter-protest took place in Berlin, where Kristin Brinker, the AfD's candidate for Berlin's upcoming regional elections, addressed the crowd.

Christoph Bautz, head of the campaign group Campact, emphasized the broad cross-section of civil society that had come together to prevent the AfD from gaining government power. The AfD's resurgence has alarmed those who view Germany as having a unique responsibility to atone for its Nazi past, leading to calls for mainstream parties to seek the party's formal ban. However, forming such a ban in Germany is challenging, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the center-right CDU party remains skeptical about implementing it.

In Berlin, police reported several thousand protesters taking part in multiple demonstrations. The AfD held its own counter-demonstration in the capital, which was attended by Brinker, the party's lead candidate in Berlin's upcoming regional elections. Campact reported around 25,000 demonstrators in Hamburg and 12,000 in Munich.

The anti-immigration, Russia-friendly party secured nearly 44% of the vote in last Sunday's election in Saxony-Anhalt, falling three seats short of an absolute majority and has since begun negotiations with other groups and MPs to form a state government.