As of: January 22, 2024, 10:24 a.m
By: Felix Busjaeger, 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.
Crowd
in
Munich
too big: anti-right demonstration 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 22nd, 10:23 a.m
.: Markus Söder (CSU) described the large demonstrations against right-wing extremism as a “very good signal”.
At the same time, they are a "wake-up call for the 'traffic light' to change many things," he said today on
ZDF's "Morgenmagazin"
.
Regarding the statement by his Deputy Prime Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) that the demos were "in many cases infiltrated by left-wing extremists," Bavaria's Prime Minister said: "The very large majority were middle-class people, were representatives of the normal middle of society."
Markus Söder (r.) and Hubert Aiwanger (archive photo): The two disagree about the participants in the large demonstrations in Germany.
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
Demo against the right: Höcke accuses ZDF of image manipulation
Update from January 21st, 10:30 p.m.:
The state chairman of the AfD in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has accused ZDF of editing images from the anti-right demonstrations in Hamburg.
The German Press Agency, from which the corresponding picture came, rejected the allegations.
Update from January 21st, 6:01 p.m.:
According to initial police estimates, at least 60,000 people in Berlin are taking part in an anti-right-wing demonstration.
Since the influx is large and the situation is dynamic, there could also be 100,000 people, a police spokesman said on Sunday.
The police are still trying to record the number of people more specifically, it was said.
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Demos against the right – thousands of people in front of the Bundestag
Update from January 21st, 5:00 p.m.:
Thousands of people in Berlin also gathered for an anti-right demonstration in front of the Bundestag.
“In any case, we are already five figures,” said a spokeswoman for the organizers shortly after the start.
The police initially did not provide any information about the number of participants, but initially expanded the meeting area.
“You can use the entire Straße des 17. Juni from the Brandenburg Gate to the Victory Column,” said a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Shortly after 4 p.m., many people were still on their way to the event in the government district, as dpa reporters reported.
Buses and trains on the way to Berlin-Mitte are full.
At Berlin Central Station, too, many people pushed towards the demonstration route.
The police had already expected significantly more participants than the 1,000 people initially announced by the organizer.
She assumed things would be peaceful.
According to initial information from a spokeswoman, 220 police officers should initially be on site.
The number of emergency services will be adjusted to the events, it was said.
“Working openly against our democracy” – Green Party leader Nouripour calls for a ban on the Junge Alternative
Update from January 21st, 4:23 p.m.:
While countless people in Germany took to the streets on Sunday to demonstrate against the right, new demands were also coming from political Berlin.
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour has spoken out in favor of banning Young Alternatives (JA).
In the fight against right-wing extremists, the constitutional state must not lose sight of the AfD's frontline organizations,” Nouripour told the ARD capital studio.
These played a crucial role in networking and increasing hatred and agitation.
“Associations like Junge Alternative are openly working against our democracy and must be banned,” he said.
“That would be an effective blow by the rule of law against extremist structures.” The youth organization of the AfD is observed nationwide by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a confirmed right-wing extremist effort.
Organizer: Almost 200,000 people demonstrate against the right in Munich
Update from January 21st, 3:40 p.m.:
According to the organizers, around 200,000 people took part in the large demonstration against right-wing extremism in Munich on Sunday.
“We are approaching 200,000,” was announced over loudspeakers on site.
The rally was then canceled for security reasons as the event area in the city center was completely overcrowded.
Too big a crowd – anti-right demonstration in Munich canceled
Update from January 21st, 3 p.m.:
The organizer of an anti-right demonstration in Munich canceled the event due to overcrowding.
A police spokesman told the German Press Agency on Sunday.
The safety of the estimated 80,000 participants can no longer be guaranteed.
Update from January 21st, 2:55 p.m.:
Due to the large number of participants, the police in Munich are currently considering canceling the anti-right demonstration.
Due to security concerns, the event could end earlier than planned.
A police spokesman told the German Press Agency on Sunday afternoon.
Discussions are currently being held with the organizer.
At least 80,000 people demonstrated on Sunday in response to the Potsdam meeting against the rise of right-wing extremist forces in Germany.
“Remigrate to your knees” – tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Munich
Update from January 21st, 2:30 p.m.:
According to the police, several thousand people came together in Munich on Sunday for a demonstration against right-wing extremism.
The police were initially unable to provide more precise information about the number of participants.
Starting from the Victory Gate, the participants wanted to march through the city after a rally.
Many demonstrators in Munich used posters against right-wing extremist ideas: “Remigrate to your knees,” “Let us learn from history instead of repeating it,” “No tolerance for intolerance,” “AfD – A nightmare for Germany” and “Brown “Bottles don’t belong in the waste glass container in the Bundestag,” it read there, among other things.
Merz on AfD meeting in Potsdam: No comparison to the National Socialists' Wannsee Conference
Update from January 21st, 2:20 p.m.:
After the AfD meeting in Potsdam, CDU leader Friedrich Merz rejects comparisons with the National Socialists' Wannsee Conference as unhistorical.
He wrote about the Wannsee Conference on January 20, 1942 in his newsletter: “There weren't just a few lost spirits sitting together, that's what they were;
But it was above all the main criminals of the SS state, which was firmly in the hands of the National Socialists." There, "the systematic expulsion and murder of Jews in Europe, which had long since begun, was accelerated again" and the transition to the "genocidal Gassing” was decided.
Habeck impressed by demonstrations against the right: “Democracy lives from the people who stand up for it”
Update from January 21st, 2:15 p.m.:
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck viewed the nationwide demonstrations against right-wing extremism as an encouraging sign for democracy.
“Democracy lives from the people who stand up for it,” said the Green politician to the
Augsburger Allgemeine
(Monday).
It is impressive to see that many people are now “taking to the streets and showing the flag for our democracy”.
“We must state this clearly and no longer speak of angry citizens, of those concerned, of right-wing populists, but rather of those who attack our constitution,” demanded Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The Green politician said on Sunday at the state party conference of the Brandenburg Greens in Potsdam, not just because of the revelation of
Correctiv
, but now visible to everyone, that there is a part of this society that wants to undermine the Basic Law.
“To prevent this, we must do everything we can to fight for democracy.”
“The whole of Bremen hates the AfD”: Protest against the right in Bremen with up to 40,000 participants
Update from January 21st, 2 p.m.:
Numerous people also took to the streets in Bremen to raise their voices against the AfD, among other things, in protests against the right.
“The whole of Bremen hates the AfD,” shouted chants during the rally.
“All together against fascism.” Participants held up signs with slogans like “Apple sauce instead of fascism” or “I only think right-wing extremists are good at Werder.”
According to police estimates, between 35,000 and 40,000 people gathered for the “Loud Against the Right” rally in the Hanseatic city.
The organizers spoke of around 50,000 participants.
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.
Demonstrations against the right on Sunday: tens of thousands of participants on the streets nationwide
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.
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 is on the side of the protesters during 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.
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., Jahnplatz
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,” said the NGO 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 for the deprivation of fundamental rights is underway against the AfD politician.
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 AfD has been classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as proven to be right-wing extremist,” the SPD politician explained to the
taz
about his initiative.
“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.
An dem Treffen nahmen auch Vertreter von CDU und der Werteunion teil - ebenso der Referent von Alice Weidel. Zwar entließ die AfD-Vorsitzende, die Klingbeil kürzlich eine Rechtsextremistin nannte, ihren Mitarbeiter nach der Enthüllung. Trotzdem versucht die Partei, die Vorfälle herunterzuspielen. Doch das scheint immer mehr Menschen auf die Straße zu treiben. Am Donnerstagabend demonstrierten wieder 2000 Menschen in Mainz bei einer Kundgebung „Zeichen gegen rechts - Kein Platz für Nazis“, wie die Nachrichtenagentur dpa berichtete. In den Tagen zuvor war es auch in München und in Berlin schon zu Protesten gekommen. In Köln demonstrierten 30.000 Menschen gegen Rechtsextremismus.
Hamburg steht auf: AfD kann große Kundgebung gegen Rechts nicht verhindern
Am Freitag (19. Januar) ist zudem eine große Demo gegen Rechts in Hamburg geplant. Polizei und Veranstalter rechnen mit mehr als 10.000 Teilnehmern. Die Kundgebung kann zwar nicht wie geplant auf dem Platz vor dem Rathaus stattfinden, weil die AfD kurzfristig eine Fraktionssitzung anberaumt hat und dadurch eine Bannmeile von 350 Metern rund das Rathaus zum Tragen kommt. Doch die Demo wurde kurzerhand auf den nahegelegenen Jungfernstieg verlegt. In den kommenden Tagen sind dann auch noch Kundgebungen in Stuttgart, Halle, Erfurt, Dortmund und Karlsruhe und Bremen geplant. Hier eine Liste, die von der Menschenrechtsorganisation Terre des Hommes veröffentlicht wurde:
Demos gegen Rechts: Bundesliga-Trainer Christian Streich mobilisiert gegen AfD
Der Protest gegen Rechts wird von einer breiten gesellschaftlichen Basis getragen. Neben Politik, Kirchen und Verbänden machen auch die Sportklubs mobil – auch aus der Bundesliga. So folgten gleich mehrere Vereine dem Aufruf, im Wahljahr 2024 für demokratische Werte einzustehen. So erklärte etwa Christian Streich, Trainer des SC Freiburg, laut tagesschau.de: „Wer jetzt nicht aufsteht, der hat nichts verstanden. (...) Es ist fünf vor zwölf“, sagte Streich. In Leipzig warnte zudem Streichs Trainerkollege Marco Rose: „Ich glaube, dass es ganz wichtig ist, dass man gegen Dummheit und Rechtsextremismus in jeder Form aufsteht. Ich finde es gut, dass die Leute das auch machen, dass sie klar Flagge zeigen und auf die Straße gehen.“
Trotz Geheimtreffen: AfD liegt in Umfragen noch stabil
In den vergangenen Monaten hatte die AfD einen wahren Höhenflug erlebt. In den Umfragen liegen sie bislang stabil an zweiter Stelle – hinter der Union. Vor allem im Osten Deutschlands macht sich die rechtspopulistische Partei große Hoffnungen. Denn bei drei Landtagswahlen in Thüringen, Brandenburg und in Sachsen hätte die Partei derzeit gute Chancen, stärkste Kraft zu werden.
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
)