Tens of thousands march across Germany to protest far-right party AfD

Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNews|Civil RightsTens of thousands march across Germany to protest far-right party AfDProtesters in about 20 cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, demand the banning of the Alternative for Germany.

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About 150,000 demonstrators turned out in roughly 20 cities on Saturday, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, in rallies organised by Pruef, a campaign group pushing for a ban on the AfD.

Protesters carried signs reading “Ban the AfD now” and “Democracy needs no alternatives.”.

De acordo com a polícia, mais vários milhares se juntaram a manifestações separadas em Berlim.

The AfD held its own counter-rally in the German capital, attended by Kristin Brinker, the party’s lead candidate for Berlin’s upcoming regional election.

Os protestos seguem um resultado surpreendente para a AfD na Saxônia-Anhalt, um estado no leste da Alemanha, onde o partido obteve quase 44 % dos votos em 6 de setembro — muito à frente dos cerca de 17 % conquistados pelo Partido Democrático Cristão (CDU) do chanceler Friedrich Merz, que tem dominado a política alemã há muito tempo.

The AfD, known for its anti-immigration stance and friendly posture towards Russia, fell just short of an outright majority and is now in talks with other parties to try to form a government, which would make it the first far-right party to lead a German state since the Nazi era ended in 1945.

AfD state leader Ulrich Siegmund called the result historic, telling supporters: “The people have made it absolutely clear that they finally want political change and, above all, they have shown that they want it with us.” He has since signalled openness to working with other parties, after previously saying he wanted to govern alone.

The AfD’s growing strength has deeply unsettled many Germans, given the country’s history and its commitment to never repeating it.

O partido está projetado para vencer 39 de 83 assentos no parlamento estadual, três abaixo de uma maioria. Agora precisa de um parceiro de coalizão, embora todos os partidos tradicionais tenham, até agora, recusado governar com o AfD sob uma política de longa data conhecida como “firewall”.

O partido de extrema‑direita nunca se juntou a uma coalizão governamental em nenhum lugar da Alemanha, nem em nível estadual nem nacional.

The unease has fuelled growing calls to ban the AfD altogether, though that would be legally difficult in Germany, and Chancellor Merz has been reluctant to pursue it.

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