Höcke's appearance in Fürstenwalde causes protests

A planned appearance by Thuringia's AfD state leader Björn Höcke on German Unity Day triggers anti-AfD protests in Fürstenwalde in eastern Brandenburg. The police will be deployed in large numbers in the city in the Oder-Spree district. An alliance wants to protest against the AfD meeting on Saturday.

The mayor of Fürstenwalde, Matthias Rudolph (Alliance Fürstenwalder Zukunft), expects a heated mood in the city. At the same time, he announced that he wanted to get an overview and would stop by all events in the city, including the AfD.

Anti-AfD poster with Höcke's portrait is allowed to hang

The Left recently caused controversy in the city with around 34,000 inhabitants with a poster saying “Björn Höcke is a Nazi”. After a witness tipped off, the police confiscated the poster in the window of the party office on September 11th. The public prosecutor does not consider it to be a criminal offense. Posters showing a picture of Höcke with his right arm outstretched and the Nazi slogan hang in the center of Fürstenwalde.

Police will accompany meetings

On German Unity Day, the leaders of the Brandenburg state AfD want to come to Fürstenwalde for a rally on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.). One of the announced speakers is Höcke, who is considered the right-wing extremist of his party. The AfD has not yet said how many people are expecting at its event. According to police, a parade through the city is also planned early Saturday evening.

The police were on duty to prevent disruptions to the meetings, a spokesman said. However, traffic disruptions must be expected.

Both the AfD in Brandenburg and the Thuringian state party headed by Höcke are classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Höcke was convicted twice by the Halle regional court for using a banned SA slogan. A ban on the AfD has been discussed nationwide for a long time.

Alliance: City stands for diversity

An alliance is calling for a counter-demonstration on Saturday in Fürstenwalde (2 p.m.). When announcing a festival for diversity it was said: “Fürstenwalde is more than a meeting place for the AfD. Our city stands for diversity, cohesion and an open society.” According to their own information, the organizers are hoping for around 400 participants.

The AfD is the strongest force in the city parliament in Fürstenwalde. Mayor Rudolph was re-elected in the spring and was supported by the AfD, among others.

Mayor expects provocations

The town hall boss told the German Press Agency that he would also stop by the AfD event. "I'm not going there as a supporter and sympathizer, but because my office entails it." He wanted to know “what the gentlemen have to say”. “I can’t ignore that,” said Rudolph.

He also expects people to come to Fürstenwalde who want to provoke and cause unrest, but who otherwise have nothing to do with the city. Rudolph, who considers himself independent, emphasized with regard to the various events: “This applies to everyone.”

Reunion 36 years ago

German Unity Day on October 3rd commemorates reunification 36 years ago. The central celebration in Germany this year is in Bremen. Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) also wants to be there in the Hanseatic city.