Tens of thousands of people demonstrated today in more than 60 German cities against the “Alternative for Germany” (AfD), the far-right populism and asking the democratic parties not to cooperate with the AfD after the election.

According to the police, in Berlin at least 35,000 people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate and, holding candles and lanterns, sent their message “against the country’s turn to the right”, with slogans against the cooperation of other parties with the AfD. “Otherwise, there will be an uprising of the dignified,” shouted the demonstrators. Christoph Bautz, head of Campact, which co-organized the demonstration with Fridays for the Future and Parents Against the Far Right, stressed that “the democratic parties must help to withstand the ‘firewall’ and not to cooperate with the AfD” and, specifically addressing the leader of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) Friedrich Merz, warned that “if he seeks a majority with the AfD on immigration issues, there will be a revolt of the decent in this country.”

Among others, the President of the Synod of Evangelical Churches in Germany, Anna-Nicole Heinrich, participated in the demonstration, who emphasized that “God has given all people the same dignity and for this reason we will not remain silent when people are excluded, attacked or threats and we stand up to anyone who attacks democracy.” He also noted that churches remain a place of refuge and called on politicians not to distort the facts during the election campaign.

More than 40,000 people demonstrated today also in Cologne, with the participation of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), while a gathering of 3,000 people took place in Aschaffenburg, where last Thursday an Afghan killed a 2-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man with a knife. who tried to stop him. “Asafenburg is colorful,” the banners read. In the Saxony-Anhalt city of Halle, where the AfD’s central election rally was held with speakers Alice Weidel and Tino Hrupala, around 10,000 protesters voiced their opposition. The police guarded the gatherings with strong forces and assistance from neighboring states.

Similar demonstrations were held in Münster, Karlsruhe and Regenstauf and other cities, while a rally is planned for tomorrow in Hamburg and elsewhere. A year ago there were again mass demonstrations against the far-right, on the occasion of the revelation of the secret meeting of AfD officials with neo-Nazis in Potsdam, Brandenburg, about the plan to forcibly deport about 2 million immigrants.