Hamburg, Dresden, Zwickau – tens of thousands of people once again demonstrated for democracy and against right-wing extremism in several cities. Up to 50,000 people came together in the Hanseatic city, supported by the band Deichkind.
According to the climate movement “Fridays for Future,” more than 50,000 people took part in a demonstration against right-wing extremism in Hamburg. The climate activists had called for the large demonstration under the motto “We are the firewall”. A broad alliance of organizations and clubs supported the demo. The police do not want to comment on the number of participants until after the demonstration has ended.
At the beginning of the rally there were speeches, including from transformation researcher Maja Göpel and the head of the Hamburg Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial, Oliver von Wrochem. The musical highlight of the protest was a performance by the Hamburg band Deichkind, who chanted in their final song: “We don’t want Nazis and we don’t want AfD.” The event was the third large-scale demonstration of its kind in the Hanseatic city since January.
The band Deichkind performed at the demo to encourage people in their protest.
Thousands on Neumarkt in Dresden
Thousands of people also took to the streets in several cities in Saxony. In the state capital Dresden, photos show the Neumarkt in front of the Frauenkirche, which is completely full. The organizers expect 5,000 participants. As in Hamburg and elsewhere, a broad alliance of associations, clubs, organizations and social groups called for participation under the motto “We are the firewall”. The most prominent speaker was the climate protection activist Luisa Neubauer. It is already the third demonstration of this kind in Dresden.
The second anti-right-wing extremism demo took place in Bautzen within a month. Trade unions, initiatives, institutions and social associations called for participation. In Zwickau, a demonstration took place at the cathedral courtyard as part of the “Together Against the Right” action weekend. In both regions, the AfD became the strongest force in the last federal election.
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Dresden.
Also demos in the West
Several thousand people also took to the streets against right-wing extremism in various cities in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. According to police reports, around 2,000 to 3,000 people walked through Trier on Sunday under the motto “Never again is now.” According to the campaign network Campact, around 70 events against right-wing extremism in general and specifically against the AfD were planned for the weekend.
According to the police, 8,000 to 9,000 people demonstrated in the Baden-Württemberg capital Stuttgart on Saturday. According to Campact, further calls for events were planned at the weekend in Potsdam, Trier, Solingen, Erfurt, Kiel, Konstanz and Lübeck, among others, as well as in smaller cities such as Anklam. At the same time, according to police reports, 2,000 people each protested against state party conferences of the AfD on Saturday in Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg. According to officials, things remained peaceful.
Commemoration in Rostock
Meanwhile, the city of Rostock today remembered Mehmet Turgut, who was murdered 20 years ago. The then 24-year-old Turk fell victim to the right-wing extremist terrorist group “National Socialist Underground” (NSU) on February 25, 2004 in the Toitenwinkel district. “The cruel crimes of the NSU and the murder of Mehmet Turgut must never be forgotten,” said Mayor Eva-Maria Kröger at a memorial event. Right-wing extremism continues to threaten democracy and the human dignity it protects today.