Massive demonstrations in Germany against right-wing extremism and the Alternative for Germany party

On Saturday (September 12), several German cities witnessed massive demonstrations in which tens of thousands participated, rejecting right-wing extremism and the policies of the Alternative for Germany party, at a time when controversy continues over how to deal with the party that has the second largest bloc in the Federal Parliament (Bundestag).

The protests were distributed in major cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, and Munich, in addition to gatherings in Leipzig, Magdeburg, Mainz, and Saarbrücken.

An electoral rise raises concerns

These moves come after the great success achieved by the Alternative for Germany party in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections, where it topped the results by obtaining about 44% of the votes, far ahead of its closest competitor, without being able to obtain an absolute majority.

This electoral progress revived the debate about the future of the political “wall of isolation” imposed on the party, which requires traditional German parties to refuse to cooperate with it.

Tens of thousands in the streets

In Dusseldorf, about 20,000 people participated in a demonstration carrying the slogan “No retreat... against the alternative and right-wing incitement,” according to identical estimates by the police and organizers.

As for Hamburg, about 25,000 demonstrators roamed the city center under the slogan, “It is time for action... freedom must be protected.”

In the capital, Berlin, a mass march headed towards the red municipal building to demand community cohesion and reject the normalization of right-wing discourse. The police estimated the number of participants at about 18,000 people, while the organizers raised the number to 32,000.

Campaign demands examination of party ban

Many of the demonstrations came as part of the “Profit” (Examine) campaign, which organizes monthly protests to demand that parties classified by the Constitutional Protection Service as suspected cases of right-wing extremism be referred to the Federal Constitutional Court to consider the legality of their activities.

The largest campaign gatherings were recorded in Munich with the participation of about 12,000 people, while the cities of Mainz, Saarbrücken, and Magdeburg witnessed gatherings in which thousands of protesters participated.

Submitting a request to ban any political party in Germany is limited to the Federal Parliament, the Council of States, or the Federal Government, while the final decision rests exclusively with the Federal Constitutional Court.

A new blow to Meretz

In conjunction with these developments, a new opinion poll showed a sharp decline in German confidence in Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as 78% of participants believed that he was no longer the appropriate person to hold the position of Chancellor, compared to only 14% who still supported his continuation.

This electronic poll was conducted by the "Insa" Institute for Opinion Research on behalf of the "Bild" newspaper.

The poll also revealed a decline in support for the principle of the “isolation wall” imposed on the Alternative for Germany party, as 46% of participants considered that this approach is no longer appropriate to the current political reality, compared to 34% who expressed their adherence to its continuation.

Edited by: Salah Sharara