HHundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Germany at the weekend for democracy and peacefully protested against the right. Politicians and organizations expressed their gratitude – for a “clear signal”.
In Munich, the organizer canceled an anti-right demonstration with at least 80,000 people because of overcrowding. The safety of the participants can no longer be guaranteed, a police spokesman said on Sunday. The organizer even spoke of 250,000 demonstrators.
In Berlin, tens of thousands flocked to the government district; the police said there were at least 60,000 people. Since the influx is large and the situation is dynamic, there could also be 100,000 people, a police spokesman said on Sunday. The organizers spoke of 350,000 participants – the police thought that was too high. Tens of thousands of people also took to the streets in many other places, such as Cologne and Bremen. The protests that had been going on for days reached a temporary climax.
Tens of thousands on the streets in the east too
On Saturday, police and organizers had already counted a total of at least 300,000 people. The focus was on Hanover, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. In eastern Germany, Halle was one of the places where a large number of demonstrators gathered. The police spoke of around 16,000 participants there.
New state parliaments will be elected in September in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia. According to surveys, the AfD could become the strongest force in all three countries, some by a significant margin.
The protests were triggered by the revelations by the Correctiv research center about a meeting of right-wing extremists on November 25th, in which AfD politicians as well as individual members of the CDU and the very conservative Values Union took part in Potsdam. The former head of the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, said he spoke about “remigration” at the meeting. When right-wing extremists use the term, they usually mean that large numbers of people of foreign origin should leave the country – even under duress.
Federal President thanks for commitment to democracy
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier thanked the demonstrators for their commitment to democracy. “These people encourage us all. They defend our republic and our constitution against its enemies. They defend our humanity,” he said in a video message in Berlin on Sunday. Very different people took to the streets. “But they all have one thing in common: they are now standing up against misanthropy and right-wing extremism. They want to continue to live together freely and peacefully in the future.” What is now needed is an alliance of all democrats. “The future of our democracy does not depend on the volume of its opponents – but on the strength of those who defend democracy. Let’s show that we are stronger together.”
Politicians praise protest
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck viewed the demonstrations as an encouraging sign for democracy. “What a power that comes from this weekend,” he wrote on the Instagram platform on Sunday. “You show that Germany is a strong democracy. That you will not tolerate right-wing extremism wanting to destroy the foundations of our state.” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) praised the increasing anti-right-wing protests in Germany, especially in smaller and medium-sized cities. “That is the strength in our country,” she said on Sunday in Potsdam. When it came to the question of whether one was a human being or a misanthrope, people took to the streets – even without big calls and for the first time.
The Federal Government's Integration Commissioner, Reem Alabali-Radovan, described the demonstrations as “good and important”. “We need an alliance across society,” said the SPD politician “Zeit Online” (Sunday). Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) wrote on Saturday evening on the X platform, formerly Twitter: “So many people who show faces and attitudes – our democracy lives from strong democrats like you!” Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder wrote to the citizens who demonstrated: “Thank you for this clear signal! “If Democrats stick together, extremists have no chance.”
North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) had previously thanked the people who demonstrated against the right across the country. This shows that there is “a broad alliance” at the heart of society, he said. Wüst once again called for such a “center alliance” in politics, which must be formed across parties and across all levels of government. “We need the Democrats to join forces.” He described the AfD as an “extremely dangerous Nazi party.” On X, formerly Twitter, the CDU politician wrote that the AfD does not stand on the basis of the Basic Law. “The AfD is not a conservative party and certainly not a value-oriented party.”
Holocaust survivors express their gratitude
The International Auschwitz Committee thanked the people for their protest. “Holocaust survivors are more than grateful to all those who are taking to the streets these days against the hatred and lies of the right-wing extremists. They see these demonstrations as a powerful sign from the citizens and a revival of democracy that they have long hoped and waited for,” said Executive Vice President Christoph Heubner.
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