A real human wave estimated at 600 thousand people marched this weekend through the cities and towns of Germany, in a sign of repudiation of the far-right Alternative for Germany party and its participation in a secret conversation with other like-minded forces in order to develop a plan to expel immigrants and advance to power.
Germany does not remember similar demonstrations. This Sunday in Munich the police and organizers agreed to suspend the march of 200,000 people who were protesting with shouts and songs against the far right accused of wanting the mass expulsion of foreigners of non-European ethnicity due to the excessive number of people . “No tolerance for intolerance,” one poster read.
Another denounced that the Alternative party “is a nightmare for Germany”.
The party, which entered Parliament in 2017, is the second force with the highest voting intention nationwide (around 22%) according to surveys.
The decision to put an end to the record presence of demonstrators has revived the popularity of the demonstration in Munich, the capital of the conservative region of Bavaria, a bastion of conservative Catholic centrism which garners almost 40% of the votes.
Large demonstrations also took place in Cologne, Bremen and Dresden, as well as dozens of cities called to protest against right-wing extremism.
Alternative for Germany was created as a party in 2013 and achieved its first parliamentary victories in 2017.
Statements. Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a meeting with the press (EFE). It has grown significantly over the past four years, driven by mounting economic problems. First due to the recession caused by the Covid pandemic and from 2022 due to the slowdown of the economy caused by the fight against inflation and price growth.
This year, elections will be held in September in three eastern German regions: Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. In the three alternatives, Germany would win with more than 30% of the votes.
First, in June, there will be elections for the European Parliament and the polls also show a strong growth in votes in favor of Alternative.
The wave of demonstrations, which began last week with a massive march in Berlin, erupted after reports that at a secret meeting in Potsdam, Alternative leaders had met with other representatives of far-right forces to discuss a plan that leads to the expulsion of foreigners.
The leaders of a right-wing Austrian party also participated in that meeting, presenting their complaint regarding the plan to replace Germans with immigrants of non-European ethnicities.
Rejection. People took to the streets against immigration proposals from the far right (AP). On Saturday, around 250 thousand people demonstrated in around a hundred locations against the Alternative for Germany. In Frankfurt, 35 thousand demonstrators gathered under the slogan “Defend democracy”.
Another 35,000 people marched through the streets of Hanover, further north, with signs reading: “Nazis Out.”
According to the police, another 30,000 protested in Dortmund and 16,000 in Halle. There were also demonstrations shouting “Nazis, no thanks” in Erfurt, Kassel and smaller cities.
The National Football Federation, political and religious leaders, They called to express their repudiation against the far-right party.
Interior Secretary Nancy Faeser compared the Potsman meeting to the far right “The horrible Wannsee conference” in 1942, in which a meeting of the leaders of the Nazi regime envisaged the extermination of Europe’s Jews. There are detailed minutes of that meeting, described as “horrendous”.
No. The Reichstag building, in Berlin, as the backdrop for the demonstration (AP). Social Democratic Prime Minister Olaf Scholz participated in several marches and stressed that any project that aims to expel people of foreign origin is an attack against democracy.”
Scholz called on “everyone” to defend “the cohesion of democracy” and “our democratic Germany”.
Last Friday, a march organized in Hamburg, Germany’s second city, brought together 50 thousand people. “Silent majority” demonstrations also took place in Cologne, Leipzig and Nuremberg.
Things changed in Germany after Prime Minister Angela Merkel’s “open door” policy in 2015. which favored the entry of a million immigrants, especially Syrians, in the “we must deport faster” proposed last year by Prime Minister Scholz, perhaps noticing how the far right was growing in the polls.
Last year the Executive led by Scholz signed an agreement with the Länder to limit the arrival of immigrants.
Scholz declared that “we must reject irregular immigration”, an issue that far-right parties use for their propaganda”.
The government sponsors the increase in the income of skilled workers and do not favor those who lack professionalism.
The reality is that in a Germany of 83 million inhabitants, considered the first European economic power and the fourth in the world, there is a lack of 1,740,000 specialized workers in the immense industrial and service sector. The government wants to encourage the entry of specialized laborbut they block the arrival of unprepared immigrants.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.