Tens of thousands protest against far-right AfD in Germany after election win

Large-scale demonstrations against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party took place across the country on Saturday, with organizers estimating around 150,000 participants in roughly 20 cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. The protests were organized by the group Pruef, which campaigns for a ban on the AfD.

Protesters carried signs reading "Ban the AfD now" and "Democracy needs no alternatives." Christoph Bautz, head of the campaign group Campact, which also took part, said a broad section of civil society was mobilizing to prevent the AfD from gaining government power in Saxony-Anhalt.

Election results and aftermath

The protests follow last Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won nearly 44 percent of the vote, far ahead of the centre-right CDU, which took 17 percent. The AfD fell three seats short of an absolute majority and is now negotiating with other parties and lawmakers to try to form a state government. Success would make it the first far-right-led state government in Germany since World War II.

In Berlin, police reported several thousand protesters across multiple demonstrations. The AfD also held a counter-demonstration in the capital, attended by Kristin Brinker, its lead candidate for upcoming state elections in Berlin. According to Campact, around 25,000 people demonstrated in Hamburg and 12,000 in Munich.

Political reaction

The AfD's rise has alarmed many who believe Germany bears a special responsibility to reckon with its Nazi past, fueling calls from within mainstream politics for the party to be banned outright. However, the legal threshold for a formal ban remains high in Germany, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the centre-right CDU has voiced skepticism about pursuing that path. The AfD is described as an anti-immigration, Russia-friendly party.