Tens of thousands protest in Germany against the rise of the far right
NPR Online NewsJan 15
Germany: 1.4M Protest Against Right-Wing AfD in Weekend Demonstrations
Image copyright: Maryam Majd/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Mass protests against the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party took place in Berlin and other major cities across Germany over the weekend. Thousands also took to the streets in cities in the country's east that are viewed as having a strong AfD presence including Dresden and Leipzig.
In the capital Berlin, around 100K people rallied in the city center on Sunday evening, while at least 100K demonstrators reportedly gathered in Munich in southern Germany — far more than was expected. A planned protest march through the city was called off by the organizing groups, known as Campact and Fridays for Future, due to overcrowding.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The secret AfD-Nazi meeting is reminiscent of the Wannsee Conference in Nazi Germany and thus of the darkest chapter in German history. However, these protests are an encouraging sign that people have recognized the need to prove their spirit of cohesion and humanity is stronger than that of exclusion and fear. The AfD is exploiting the legitimate concerns of many Germans but has no political solutions to offer — only populism and hatred. Nothing less than the future of democracy is at stake.
Establishment-critical narrative
The liberal mainstream press is jumping on the AfD's alleged "remigration plan," and hundreds of thousands of citizens are falling for the government's campaign to discredit the millions of citizens who agree with the party's fear for the future. German farmers protesting against the government's policies are just the latest example of this. The real reason the political establishment is now discussing banning the AfD is that this genuine fear could be expressed at the ballot box. If the establishment believed in democracy, why are they considering banning a popular political party?