Until 1.4 million citizens Support given to demonstrations against the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD)) According to the latest balance of the Fridays for Future movement and Campact, this weekend was recorded across the country from north to south and east to west. This figure is impossible to verify given the geographical diversity of the marches and the broad spectrum that supports them. Contains all parties across the parliamentary spectrum Except for the AfD, from the conservative bloc to the left, environmental organizations, pro-refugee activism, unions and churches.
Many of them were summoned almost spontaneously, as a result of a “contagion effect” that no German city, large or small, wants to be left behind. That number has increased to 150 from the 80 people first announced on Friday. There were also ones that were more leftist in nature, such as the incident that took place in front of headquarters. federal parliament (Bundestag) in Berlin, where many criticisms of the chancellor’s governing coalition between social democrats, greens and liberals were heard from the stage Olaf Scholz.
Approximately 150,000 people participated in the Berlin march; this was about the same number as the march in Munich. Bavarian police had to end the Munich rally because the capacity of the planned venue was exceeded. The same situation happened on Friday Hamburgand also on Saturday Cologne and other cities in the west of the country.
The influx recorded in the east of the country, where the AfD aspires to be the leading force in the regional elections to be held next September, was also remarkable. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets Cottbus, Halle and Potsdamas well as other points in this half of the country.
Steinmeier’s message
“Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets all over Germany. “People of all ages and conditions, whether of German origin or not, who want a future of peaceful coexistence,” he said. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “They are the people who defend our Republic, our Constitution and our democracy against its enemies,” he continued, although the president, originally from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), suspended his militancy due to the neutrality inherent in his position.
The trigger for the marches was the revelations about an incident. Meeting between right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis in Potsdamthat there is deportation millions of strangers, Including already naturalized persons of non-German origin. The AfD tried to downplay the presence of some of its members at that meeting and attributed their journalistic information to a campaign. In a country where one in four people is of foreign origin, the reaction from the street is huge.
All this comes at a time when the AfD, the second force in voting intentions nationally and the first in the eastern half, is booming in the polls. It is a politically isolated party and has been collectively sidelined by the rest of the parliamentary spectrum. However, there are also movements within the conservative bloc in favor of opening dialogue. The most right-wing and radical of these movements is Union of ValuesMany of its members also attended the Potsdam meeting.
Just this weekend, its leaders decided to form their own party. If formalized, it could provide the AfD with an initial ally from the conservative bloc who is separated from the main opposition force and also intends to vote.