Tens of Thousands Protest Against AfD Across Germany

Mass protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party swept across Germany. The demonstrations were organized by the Pruef movement, which is campaigning for the party to be officially banned — tens of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide.

Protesters carried signs reading "Ban AfD Now" and "Democracy Needs No Alternative." According to police, several separate demonstrations took place in Berlin alone, drawing thousands of participants. AfD itself organized a counter-rally in the capital.

"A broad cross-section of civil society is taking to the streets to prevent enemies of the constitution — AfD in Saxony-Anhalt — from coming to power," said Christoph Bautz, a representative of the Campact organization, which also helped organize the protests.

Why Public Concern Is Growing

AfD's rising popularity has alarmed a significant part of German society, which points to the country's special responsibility given its Nazi past. Against this backdrop, calls to ban the party are growing louder in Germany. However, the legal procedure for banning a party is extremely complex, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of the conservative CDU bloc, remains skeptical of the idea.

A Triumph in the Saxony-Anhalt Elections

The latest wave of protests was triggered by the results of Sunday's regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, where AfD won nearly 44% of the vote, while the CDU came in second with just 17%. The far-right party fell only three seats short of an absolute majority in the state parliament.

AfD is now negotiating with other political forces and lawmakers over the possibility of forming a state government. Local security services officially classify the party as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization: AfD advocates sharply restricting migration and is pushing a large-scale deportation program for migrants. Thanks to its election results, the party has come closer than at any point since the end of World War II to leading a regional government in Germany.

Source: novinky.cz