Thousands of Germans protest against far-right after secret meeting on deportations

First modification: 01/21/2024 – 01:53

3 min

Germany registered massive protests this Saturday, January 20, in which nearly 200,000 people participated to express themselves against the far-right AfD party.

For this weekend there are around 90 calls against the bloc after it was learned that members of that movement participated in conclaves organized by conservatives and neo-Nazis to discuss a proposal that consists of expelling millions of citizens and foreign residents.

A journalistic investigation from the portal 'Corrective revealed the details of that meeting, which took place in November of last year, which has alarmed many Germans and has generated comparisons with the Nazi era.

According to journalistic investigation, The November meeting was attended by businessmen, federal and regional parliamentarians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party; a personal assistant to that party's co-leader, Alice Weidel; and even two members of the most conservative wing of the main German opposition party, the CDU.

Read alsoGermany, in 'shock' after revealing extremist plan to deport millions of foreigners

The mobilizations against this supposed plan are supported by democratic politicians, unions, churches and civil organizations. And, like the previous week, they are also expected to be replicated this Sunday.

In Frankfurt, a march was held with record numbers: according to the Police, approximately 35,000 people attended the call of an environmental organization under the motto “Defend democracy – Frankfurt against the AfD and the turn to the right.”

The mayor of the city, Mike Josef, addressed the attendees along with other relevant local figures such as the president of the Federal Bank, Joachim Nagel.

“Radicalism, racists, have never in history led to greater prosperity, but always to misery and to the impoverishment of all the people in our city, in our country and to the ruin of coexistence,” said Josef.

In other parts of Germany, such as Hannover or Dortmund, tens of thousands of people also marched. In Hanover, located in the center of the country, more than 35,000 joined the call – according to the organizers – in the busiest protest in the history of the capital of Lower Saxony.

In the second city, to the west, authorities said there were 30,000 protesters. In addition, in Karslruhe and Halle, towns in the south and east, 20,000 and 16,000 attendees were confirmed, respectively.

On Friday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke out in favor of these mobilizations against German extremism, calling them “good and correct.” She did it during a video in which he expressed his approval for the country's new law to facilitate the path to citizenship and, on the other hand, the deportation rules.

“I try to imagine how the more than 20 million citizens who have a history of migration feel,” said the German chancellor.

“With the new citizenship law we say to all those who have lived and worked for decades in Germany, respecting our laws and who feel at home: you belong to Germany,” he emphasized.

In recent months, the AfD party has increased its support in the polls, reaching second place in voting intention, only below the Christian Democrats and above the Social Democrats led by Scholz.

In the midst of the controversy, the right-wing party stressed that its program only contemplates the possibility of expelling irregular migrants from Germany, but not the hundreds of thousands who are “integrated” or who even already have the national citizenship.

With EFE and Reuters