Again Germans protest against jerk to the right in politics, 160,000 protesters in Berlin

In Berlin, about 160,000 Germans took to the streets on Sunday to protest against the shift to radical right in German politics. According to the organization of the protest, there were even more than 200,000 people. Also in other major cities such as Hamburg, Munich and Cologne, demonstrators gathered en masse, according to international press agencies, to protest against a collaboration between the large Christian Democratic party CDU/CSU and the extremely right -wing party Alternative Für Deutschland (AfD).

It is not the first time that Germans take to the streets out of anger against the jerk to radical right and the support for the AfD. This weekend’s protests follow on a bill to limit immigration in Germany, for which the leader of the CDU/CSU sought support from the AfD.

On one of the banners of the demonstrators in Berlin you could read: “We are the fire wall, no collaboration with the AfD”. That ‘fire wall’ refers to the unwritten rule that large German political parties do not collaborate with extremely right -wing or nationalist parties, such as the Department.

Protest against influence AfD

Friedrich Merz, the leader of CDU/CSU and contender to become the next Federal Chancellor, broke through this week that taboo by presenting the bill on immigration, with the support of the AfD. This time Germans therefore no longer only protect against the AfD, but now also against the established party CDU/CSU.

The bill in question wants stricter rules for family reunification and for allowing immigrants on the German border. Merz says he wants to put an end to crimes by people with a migration background. Last month two people were stabbed to death, for which an asylum seeker from Afghanistan was arrested. According to the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Left Party De Groenen, a strict immigration law does not prevent such incidents, and the law is contrary to European regulations.

Merz did not achieve a majority for the bill last Friday because members of his own party also voted against. But a motion was adopted on the Wednesday before about stricter asylum policy, for which the AfD also gave support.

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