Once again, thousands of people demonstrated against right-wing extremism in German cities. The largest gathering took place in Freiburg in the evening. Federal President Steinmeier called for people to oppose enemies of the constitution.
Several thousand people demonstrated against right-wing extremism in Berlin and Freiburg in the evening. The organizers of the Freiburg demonstration reported 10,000 participants. A police spokesman estimated there were 6,000 to 7,000 people. An alliance of local party youth organizations called for the rally.
According to the police, around 3,500 people took to the streets in Berlin. The participants in the demonstration in front of the Red Town Hall, the seat of Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, chanted, among other things, “All of Berlin hates the AfD” and “There is no right to Nazi propaganda.”
Banners and posters also called for a ban on the AfD. According to police, the rally went off without incident. The demonstration, called for by the Stand up Against Racism initiative, was the second such rally in the capital within a few days.
Steinmeier: “Equal rights for all citizens”
In a post on the online service X, formerly Twitter, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for people to oppose enemies of the constitution. “Our Basic Law guarantees equal rights for all citizens. Being German does not depend on skin color or origin,” explained Steinmeier. “There are no first or second class citizens. Anyone who claims otherwise reveals their unconstitutionality,” he added.
Steinmeier was reacting to a secret meeting of AfD politicians, neo-Nazis and entrepreneurs that was revealed last week by the research platform Correctiv. According to the research, they met near Potsdam in November to talk about the expulsion of millions of people with an immigrant background. The reports about the meeting had “roused our country” and mobilized tens of thousands of people to protest, Steinmeier wrote on
Chancellor Scholz: “That’s encouraging”
In response to the reports about the secret meeting, thousands of people have demonstrated nationwide over the past few days to take a stand against the AfD and right-wing slogans. According to police reports, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Cologne alone on Tuesday evening.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz himself took part in an anti-right rally in Potsdam on Sunday. On X, the head of government thanked the participants.
“I am grateful that tens of thousands are taking to the streets all over Germany these days – against racism, hate speech and for our liberal democracy,” wrote Scholz. “That’s encouraging and shows that there are many of us Democrats – much more than those who want to divide.”