Thousands demonstrate in Germany against working with the far right

Thousands of people took to the streets in Germany on Saturday to protest the conservative party’s move to get legislation passed in the German parliament with help from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Thousands demonstrated in Cologne, the police there said, with many holding signs with slogans condemning Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader and chancellor candidate Fredrich Merz, who was behind the heavily criticized bill.

“No Merz in March,” said one poster – a reference to the Bundestag or parliamentary elections on February 23.

Another participant carried a sign with the inscription: “Fritz listen to Mutti!” – a reference to the German nickname for Friedrich and to former CDU chancellor Angela Merkel, sometimes known as “Mutti” or mommy, during her time in office, who spoke out against pushing legislation through with the AfD.

In Essen, some 3,000 people marched through the city in a demonstration against the far right – many more than initially anticipated, the police said.

On Wednesday, the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, with help from the AfD, pushed through a non-binding motion demanding a tighter migration policy in the Bundestag. However, a bill to limit migration failed on Friday.

Police officers attacked in Frankfurt

In Neu-Isenburg, a southern suburb of Frankfurt, the protest turned violent after some 9,000 demonstrators showed up, the police said.

Several people broke through a barrier and attacked police officers. One police officer and one demonstrator were injured, a police spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman said participants had tried to set two police vehicles on fire in the afternoon, damaging one of them in the process.

A water cannon was sent to the scene to extinguish any further fires, the spokeswoman said. She added that smoke pots had been ignited and that one person had been temporarily detained. In addition, around 30-40 people took part in a sit-in blockade at an access road to the hall where the election rally was taking place.

Protesters carried placards and banners bearing messages such as “Brown bottles belong in the bottle recycling, not in the Bundestag” – a reference to the Nazi stormtroopers whose uniforms included a brown shirt. Members of the Nazi paramilitary group were often known as the brown shirts.

Other signs read: “Against the shift to the right! No room for fascism!”

Thousands demonstrate in Baden-Württemberg

Several thousand people demonstrated in various cities in the south-western German state of Baden-Württemberg.

Organizers had expected 500 people to turn out but 5,000 people were on the streets in the city of Karlsruhe, the city and police reported. The demonstration was initially peaceful, the police said.

In nearby Mannheim, people took to the streets under the slogan “We are the firewall,” referring to the much discussed “firewall” that Merz said he would not break by cooperating with the AfD.

Organizers in Mannheim had expected around 2,000 participants. Police said several thousand showed up but initially could not give any specific figures.