Germany: Massive demonstrations continue against the extreme right
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reports that on Monday more than 15,000 people demonstrated in the cities of Essen, Leipzig and Rostock against the far-right, populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD). Similar protest gatherings were held over the weekend, sparked by news that the ultra-right is making plans to achieve the expulsion of millions of people from the country.
In Essen, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the protest was attended by about 6,700 demonstrators, according to police. Banners could be seen there reading, for example, “Don’t let the Nazis march and don’t let them get power”.
In Leipzig in Saxony, between 6,000 and 7,000 people turned out for a protest that was also aimed against the ultra-conservative Values Union (WerteUnion). Banners there read “Fascism Never Again” or “The AfD = the Nazi Party”.
In Rostock, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, as many as 2,500 people expressed their disagreement with the ultra-right. These demonstrations have been convened in response to reporting released last week by Correctiv, an investigative group, which revealed that in November 2023 in Potsdam, representatives of the ultra-right held a secret meeting about how to achieve the expulsion from Germany of millions of people of immigrant origin.
The meeting was attended by members of the AfD, the ultra-right identitarian movement, and Values Union. Tens of thousands took to the streets over the weekend in many places around Germany to protest right-wing extremism.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock personally attended the assembly in Potsdam on Sunday to show their support. The AfD, which is currently the second-strongest party in Germany, according to opinion polls, has been distancing itself from the November meeting.
AfD officials said its members who participated in the meeting were there for purely personal reasons, not in their capacity as representatives of the party. According to the public broadcast television station ZDF, the AfD has also announced that it has fired AfD co-chair Alice Weidel’s advisor, Roland Hartwig, who, according to the Correctiv reporting, also attended the meeting in Potsdam of the ultra-right.
