Mass protests occurred in 114 cities across Germany last Saturday as a response to the country’s far-right political party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). The demonstrations were sparked off due to the party’s increasing popularity and speculations that party members attended a clandestine meeting to discuss mass deportation. The activist group, Together Against The Right, reported that the weekend protests attracted an impressive over 1.5 million participants across the countries.
Protesters marched while shouting anti-fascist chants like “all together against fascism”, “defend democracy”, and “never again is now.” The AfD came under scrutiny following accusations that two of its senior members attended what has been widely branded an “extremist” gathering in Berlin. It is alleged that this meeting had discussions about mass deportations, including German citizens of foreign origin.
The controversial meeting came to light in an exposé published by the investigative journalism group, Correctiv. The exposé disclosed that the “secret” assembly was conducted on November 25, 2023, and it was attended by members of AfD, followers of the Identitarian movement, and members of nationalist student fraternities. The exposé went further to unveil that the meeting was funded by prominent and wealthy German investors.
The scandal succeeded proposals to prohibit the AfD, as several German politicians deem the party a “danger to democracy”. Reports indicate that German security authorities have classified certain AfD branches and institutions as “definitely right-wing extremist.” Over the weekend, demonstrators amplified these calls to ban the AfD, as local media reported.
The AfD made its debut in Germany’s parliament in 2017 and came third in the year’s elections. The party won its first seats in the European Parliament in 2014, securing about seven percent of the votes.