After the revelations shook Germany, 100,000 people demonstrated against the far-right.

This Saturday, January 20, 2024, more than 100,000 people demonstrated across Germany against the far-right AfD party, whose members recently discussed the mass deportation of foreigners during a rally by the extremists.

Around 35,000 people gathered behind the banner “Frankfurt against the AfD – to defend democracy – Frankfurt against the AfD” in Frankfurt, a stronghold of German finance.

A similar number of demonstrators gathered in Hannover (in the north), some holding signs saying “Nazis out”.

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A hundred events

Protests were reported in Braunschweig, Erfurt, Kassel and several smaller cities, mirroring daily mobilizations this week.

In total, from Friday to Sunday evening, calls for demonstrations were launched in about a hundred locations, including Berlin on Sunday.

Politicians, religious leaders and coaches from the Bundesliga, the German football championship, have called on people to mobilize against the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The movement was revealed on January 10 by the German intelligence media editing a meeting of extremists in Potsdam, near Berlin, where, in November, a planned mass deportation of foreign-born people was discussed. Among the participants were Austrian Martin Sellner of the Radical Identity Movement and members of the AfD.

Revelations that rocked Germany

The revelation rocked Germany, with the AfD surging in opinion polls, months before three crucial regional elections in the east of the country, where the party has the most supporters.

The anti-immigration movement confirmed the presence of its members at the meeting, but denied adhering to the “immigration” plan led by Martin Zellner.

Many political leaders, including Social Democratic President Olaf Scholz, who took part in a demonstration last weekend, have insisted that any plan to expel people of foreign origin is an attack on democracy.

Olaf Scholz called “Everyone must take a stand – for unity, for tolerance, for our democratic Germany”.

Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative CDU party, ruled “Thousands of people protesting peacefully against extremism is very encouraging”.

But in addition to the AfD members, two members of the CDU from the party's right-wing Werteunion also took part in the meeting, revealed by Correctiv.

Werteunion leader Hans-Georg Maassen announced his split from the CDU on Saturday. The group has over 4,000 members.