Huge crowd
Cologne also stands up: tens of thousands at a demonstration against right-wing extremism from the AfD and Co.
Cologne residents came together on Neumarkt to take a stand against the AfD and other right-wing extremists
© Oliver Berg / DPA
In Cologne, thousands of people took a clear stand against right-wing extremism. The reason was research into a meeting between AfD representatives and other right-wing extremists at which they discussed the deportation of millions of people from Germany. There were also demonstrations in other cities.
Tens of thousands of people were in on Tuesday evening Cologne demonstrated against the AfD. The crowd was large, the side streets to the Heumarkt rally site were overcrowded. The area was “completely at capacity,” said a police spokesman. According to local media, the police counted up to 30,000 participants.
Demos against AfD in Cologne and other cities
A reporter from the DPA news agency on site reported a peaceful atmosphere. There was live music and participants waved EU and rainbow flags. The demonstrators’ posters contained slogans such as “We are colorful! We are more!”, “AfD – pioneers of fascism” and “Nazis secretly eat kebab.” There were calls to consider banning the party. The participants also emphasized that democracy is resilient.
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In Schwerin, too, many people demonstrated against the rise of the AfD and right-wing extremism on Tuesday evening. According to police information, around 1,600 Schwerin residents followed the call “Loud against the right”. The campaign was initiated by the climate protection movement Fridays for Future in Schwerin, which received broad support from parties, unions and associations.
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The reason for the demonstrations was the recently announced right-wing meeting in a villa in Potsdam. The former head of the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, said he spoke about “remigration” last November. Right-wing extremists usually mean that a large number of people of foreign origin should leave the country – even under duress. In response to this, there were several demonstrations nationwide over the weekend.