Tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people took part in the “Together against the right” demonstration in Munich on Sunday. The organizers canceled the event between Münchner Freiheit and Odeonsplatz after an hour due to overcrowding.
More than a hundred thousand people at a large demonstration against the right
The police, who had 400 emergency services on site, had expected 25,000 participants. According to police, more than 100,000 people had already gathered around 3 p.m. The organizers even assumed 250,000 people. After discussions between the police and fire brigade and the event management, it was decided to cancel the event. Therefore, the planned demonstration did not take place.
“It is high time that we as a society stand up together for our democracy and diversity!” said the organizers. “We all have to stand up now against right-wing extremism, we have to work together against the ongoing developments that have been going on for a long time the secret meeting uncovered by Correctiv are the real danger to our democracy.”
Rider and Knobloch proud and hopeful
Several top Bavarian politicians also took part in the demonstration, including Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD). He told BR: “We will do everything we can to stand up against any shift to the right that we are currently seeing.” Regarding the large number of participants, Reiter from the SPD emphasized: These are the moments in which I am proud to be Munich’s mayor. Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Israelite Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, also took part in the event. “I have hope again when I see the many young people here who are wholeheartedly committed to democracy and human rights,” said Knobloch. This is what she always wanted.
Many demonstrators in Munich used posters against right-wing extremist ideas: “Immigrate to your knees”, “Let us learn from history instead of repeating it”, “No tolerance for intolerance”, “AfD – A nightmare for Germany” and ” “Brown bottles don’t belong in the waste glass container in the Bundestag,” it read there, among other things. Criticism of the increasing rightward drift of bourgeois parties was also loud; “Seclusion is mass murder – stop the abolition of asylum rights” was read.