As of: January 21, 2024, 1:49 p.m
By: Bona Hyun, Jens Kiffmeier
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After revelations about secret meetings, people are rising up against the right.
The Union in the East is declaring war on the AfD.
News ticker.
Demos
against the right: protest in Hamburg canceled
Nationwide
wave of protests
: Reporters Without Borders sharply criticizes the AfD
After the AfD's secret meeting
: nationwide demonstrations against the right
This news ticker is updated regularly and keeps you up to date on all developments.
Update from January 21st, 1:45 p.m.:
In Berlin, the “ZusammenGegenRechts” alliance has called for a demonstration against the AfD and the shift to the right from 4 p.m.
In front of the Bundestag, a “strong signal should be sent against right-wing extremism, for the protection of our democracy and against the AfD’s inhumane deportation plans,” according to an announcement.
Update from January 21st, 1:00 p.m.:
Tens of thousands of people are expected again nationwide on Sunday at demonstrations for democracy and against right-wing extremism.
In Munich alone, the emergency services expected “25,000 plus X” participants, as a police spokeswoman said on Sunday morning.
In Cologne, the “Cologne stands across” alliance, which consists of more than 50 parties, organizations and initiatives, is expecting around 10,000 participants.
A protest is planned in front of the Bundestag in Berlin this afternoon.
Rallies and demonstrations against the right and the AfD have also been registered in many other German cities, including Chemnitz, Dresden, Flensburg, Bonn and Neubrandenburg.
Demos against the right in Germany: Numerous protests at the weekend
Update from January 20th, 10:44 p.m.:
According to the latest figures, more than 300,000 people nationwide took part in today's demonstrations against right-wing extremism and in defense of democracy.
The information is based on estimates by the organizers as well as on police reports.
Update from January 20th, 6:02 p.m.:
The CDU in East Germany identified the AfD as its main opponent at the beginning of the election year.
“We have to do it with the AfD as we once did with the NPD, DVU and Republicans: we have to remove the breeding ground for these extremists,” said Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer to
Welt am Sonntag
.
“Politicians have to act.”
Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) said: "We have to deal with this party in terms of content, we have to confront it and we must not avoid it when it comes to migration." An AfD ban procedure is not an option because the AfD is playing the role of a martyr would attribute.
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Protests against the right are gaining popularity – 35,000 participants in Frankfurt and Hanover
Update from January 20th, 4:36 p.m.:
The nationwide protests against the right and for democracy are gaining significantly in popularity: on Saturday, 35,000 people took to the streets in Frankfurt am Main and Hanover alone, according to police and organizers.
The event was very popular very quickly, said a police spokesman in Frankfurt.
Tens of thousands of people also came together for peaceful protests in other cities.
In Hanover, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) called on people at the rally to take a clear stance against the right in their own environment and to stand up for human rights and democracy.
“Let’s defend our democracy,” he appealed.
The demonstrators carried placards with the inscriptions such as “We are colorful” or “Fascism is not an alternative”.
In Kassel, the police spoke of 12,000 participants - twelve times as many as expected.
Nationwide demonstrations against the right: Greens vote for AfD ban proceedings
Update from January 20th, 3:25 p.m.:
While the demonstrations against the right are underway, the Brandenburg Greens campaigned for a ban on the AfD with a clear majority at a party conference.
A large majority of the almost 140 delegates voted in favor of a corresponding motion in Potsdam on Saturday.
There were more than ten votes against and some abstentions.
“If we start today, we can hope to prevent an AfD federal government and thus a new fascist government in Germany in 2029,” the motion says.
Green parliamentary group leader Benjamin Raschke said: “I am decidedly in favor of considering a ban on the AfD as one of many measures,” said Raschke.
“The Nazis beat democracy with their own weapons.”
Merz sides with the protesters in demonstrations against the right
Update from January 20th, 1:30 p.m.:
CDU leader Friedrich Merz described the nationwide demonstrations against right-wing extremism as encouraging.
“The 'silent' majority is raising its voice and showing that it wants to live in a country that is cosmopolitan and free,” he said in response to a request from the
German Press Agency
.
“We stand by those who are committed to our democracy, our rule of law and our open society,” said Merz.
“Let us not allow any discriminatory slogans or right-wing extremist slogans.
Together we show a stop sign against every form of extremism and racism: against every form of hatred, against incitement and against forgetting history.”
Nationwide demonstrations against the right – protest in Hamburg canceled
Update from January 20th, 6:15 a.m.:
Many people want to turn against the right with demonstrations all over Germany this weekend.
The organizers are expecting significantly more than 10,000 participants at a rally in Hanover on Saturday alone.
A demonstration against the right-wing and the AfD in Hamburg even had to be canceled on Friday evening due to the large number of people.
One of the organizers cited safety concerns.
People collapsed in the crowd and the fire department couldn't get through.
The police spoke of 50,000 participants, the organizers of 80,000.
According to police, more than 10,000 people took to the streets in Münster, 13,000 in Bochum, around 4,000 in Kiel and 3,000 in Jena.
Due to the large number of people, the demonstration in Hamburg had to be stopped.
© Jonas Walzberg/dpa
Demos against the right: The dates in German cities as an overview - the list
Bergisch Gladbach, January 20th, 11:00 a.m., pedestrian zone at the corner of Hauptstrasse / Altes Pastorat
Berlin, February 3rd, (#WirSindDieFiremauer, time and place to follow)
Bielefeld, January 30th, 6:00 p.m., Jahnplat
Bochum, January 19th, 7:00 p.m., Kurt-Schumacher-Platz
Bonn, January 21st, 2:00 p.m., market square
Braunschweig, January 20th, 2:00 p.m., Schlossplatz
Bremen, January 21st, 12:00 p.m., market square
Dortmund, January 20th, 3:00 p.m., Steinwache / CineStar
Dresden, January 21st, 2:00 p.m., Schlossplatz
Düren, January 27th, 12:00 p.m., Kaiserplatz
Düsseldorf, January 27th, 12:00 p.m., in front of the DGB house
Erfurt, January 20th, 12:00 p.m., Cathedral Square
Flensburg, January 21st, 2:00 p.m., Südermarkt
Frankfurt, January 20th, 1:00 p.m., Frankfurt Römer
Freiburg, January 17th, 5:00 p.m., square of the old synagogue
Gießen, January 20th, 3:00 p.m., Berliner Platz
Görlitz, January 21st, 2:00 p.m., Marienplatz
Halle ad Saale, January 20th, 2:00 p.m., August-Bebel-Platz
Hamburg, January 19th, 3:30 p.m., Jungfernstieg
Hanover, January 20th, 2:00 p.m., Opernplatz
Heidelberg, January 20th, 3:00 p.m., swan pond facility
Jena, January 19th, 4:00 p.m., market square
Kassel, January 20th, 2:00 p.m., Staatstheater / Friedrichsplatz
Cologne, January 21st, 12:00 p.m., Alter Markt
Leipzig, January 21st, 3:00 p.m., market
Lübeck, January 27th, 1:00 p.m., Adenauerstrasse / Lindenplatz
Magdeburg, January 20th, 2:00 p.m., in front of the DGB house
Mannheim, January 27th, (details to follow)
Mainz, January 18th, 6:00 p.m., at the main train station
Munich, January 21st, 2:00 p.m., winning goal
Münster, January 19th, 6:00 p.m., Stubengasse
Nuremberg, January 20th, 2:00 p.m., Willy-Brandt-Platz
Oldenburg, January 20th, 3:00 p.m., Schlossplatz
Osnabrück, January 27th, 11:00 a.m., town hall
Passau, January 27th, 2:00 p.m., monastery garden
Pirna, January 21st, 3:00 p.m., Peace Park
Regensburg, January 21st, 11:00 a.m., Haidplatz
Stralsund, January 19th, 5:00 p.m., Alter Markt
Stuttgart, January 20th, 2:00 p.m., in front of the New Palace
(Source: Terre des Homes. The list does not claim to be complete. The time and venue may change at short notice)
Nationwide wave of protests against the right – Reporters Without Borders sharply criticizes the AfD
Update from January 19th, 4:50 p.m.:
The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders has sharply criticized the AfD's treatment of journalists from the investigative network Correctiv.
We condemn “the digital attacks against journalists by @correctiv_org: The AfD shares pillory photos, names and defamations.
A clear attack on freedom of the press,” the NGO said on the short message service X.
The party chairmen, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, called on Reporters Without Borders to show solidarity with media workers.
AfD representatives repeatedly publicly attacked the Correctiv journalists after their publications about the Potsdam meeting.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Weidel described Correctiv as a “left-wing activist network” and accused the journalists of “secret service methods.”
Demos against the right – Höcke reacts to calls for a ban on the AfD
Update from January 19th, 12:49 p.m
.: Protests on the streets are increasing and calls for a ban on the AfD are getting louder, but now the AfD is firing back.
Thuringia's party and parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke feels his party has been unfairly pilloried.
“In view of the impending loss of power of his SPD, Maier now wants to fight the free democratic basic order by finally eliminating the right to form and exercise parliamentary opposition for a large proportion of citizens,” Höcke told the dpa news agency.
A petition to deprive the AfD politician of basic rights is underway.
According to a court ruling from 2019, Höcke can be called a fascist.
Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier had previously called for a ban on the AfD.
Demos against the right: Thuringia's interior minister wants to have the AfD ban examined
Update from January 19th, 11:20 a.m
.: Consequences for Potsdam secret meetings: The call for a ban on the AfD is getting louder.
Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier called for proceedings against the right-wing populists to be examined.
“In Thuringia, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the AfD as proven to be right-wing extremist,” the SPD politician explained
his initiative to the
taz .
“Its aim is to abolish the free democratic basic order.
Nationwide, there are fewer and fewer doubts about this issue among the party.”
The discussion about a ban on the AfD has picked up speed again since a meeting between right-wing radicals and politicians from the AfD and CDU in Potsdam became known, which is why more and more people across the country are taking to the streets for demonstrations against the right.
After secret meetings: Klingbeil calls for demonstrations against AfD
First report
: Berlin – The AfD has been celebrating one poll record after another for months, but now there could be a first setback.
After secret meetings with right-wing radical networks became known, a countermovement formed.
Whether in Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin or Erfurt – there have been anti-right-wing demonstrations across the country for days.
Further mass protests are expected to follow on Friday (January 19) and the weekend.
Is the silent majority no longer staying silent?
The mobilization is definitely in full swing.
In view of the radical meetings between the AfD and well-known right-wing extremists, the SPD has called for active participation in the demos against the right.
“It will be a year of struggle.
We will fight for the working middle.
We will fight against the attempt by right-wing extremists and the AfD to destroy this country,” said SPD leader Lars Klingbeil to the
Augsburger Allgemeine
and added: “In 2024, everyone has to get involved and give everything,” he added.
The SPD, as the strongest government party, is responsible for setting the direction.
“Nobody can sit back and wait for developments.
And this willingness to fight is the clear expectation that I set for everyone.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a member of the Bundestag or Chancellor,” Klingbeil made clear.
Meeting between AfD and right-wing radicals: Weidel's party downplays the incidents
The protests against the right are being spurred on by an investigative report from
Correctiv
.
About a week ago, the research platform revealed that AfD officials had taken part in secret meetings with right-wing radicals on several occasions.
According to the report, the former head of the right-wing extremist Identitarian movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, was also present at the meeting in a Potsdam villa.
Concepts of “remigration” are said to have been discussed, by which right-wing extremists usually mean the mass expulsion of people of foreign origin.
Representatives of the CDU and the Values Union also took part in the meeting - as did Alice Weidel's speaker.
The AfD chairwoman, who recently called Klingbeil a right-wing extremist, fired her employee after the revelation.
Nevertheless, the party is trying to downplay the incidents.
But that seems to be driving more and more people onto the streets.
On Thursday evening, 2,000 people demonstrated again in Mainz at a rally “Signs against the right - No place for Nazis,” as the
dpa
news agency reported.
In the previous days there had also been protests in Munich and Berlin.
In Cologne, 30,000 people demonstrated against right-wing extremism.
Hamburg stands up: AfD cannot prevent a large rally against the right
A large demonstration against the right is also planned in Hamburg on Friday (January 19th).
Police and organizers expect more than 10,000 participants.
The rally cannot take place on the square in front of the town hall as planned because the AfD has scheduled a parliamentary group meeting at short notice and this means that a restricted mile of 350 meters around the town hall will come into effect.
But the demo was quickly moved to the nearby Jungfernstieg.
Rallies are also planned in Stuttgart, Halle, Erfurt, Dortmund, Karlsruhe and Bremen in the coming days.
Here is a list
published by the human rights organization
Terre des Hommes :
Demos against the right: Bundesliga coach Christian Streich mobilizes against the AfD
The protest against the right is supported by a broad social base.
In addition to politics, churches and associations, sports clubs are also mobilizing - including those from the Bundesliga.
Several clubs responded to the call to stand up for democratic values in the 2024 election year.
For example, Christian Streich, coach of SC Freiburg, explained according to
tagesschau.de
: “If you don't get up now, you haven't understood anything.
(...) It’s five to twelve,” said Streich.
In Leipzig, Streich's coaching colleague Marco Rose also warned: “I believe that it is very important to stand up against stupidity and right-wing extremism in every form.
I think it’s good that people are doing that too, that they are clearly showing their colors and taking to the streets.”
Despite secret meetings: AfD is still stable in surveys
In the past few months, the AfD has experienced real heights.
In the surveys they have so far been in stable second place - behind the Union.
The right-wing populist party has high hopes, especially in eastern Germany.
Because in three state elections in Thuringia, Brandenburg and Saxony, the party currently has a good chance of becoming the strongest force.
But the competitors don't want to let it get that far.
“We will work out how this country would change if the AfD could take over,” emphasized SPD leader Klingbeil.
“The last few weeks have clearly shown that the AfD wants to go through the country and sort out everyone whose last name or skin color doesn't suit them.
And this is about people who are an integral part of our society, who work as nursing staff, as bus drivers, as Vice President of the Bundestag.
So those who help keep things running all over this country,” said the Social Democrat to the
Augsburger Allgemeine
.
(
jkf/dpa
)