Thousands Protest AfD Across Germany After Saxony-Anhalt Election Victory

By Staff, Agencies

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across Germany to protest against the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) following the party's historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, as attention turns to upcoming state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

According to The Guardian, demonstrators gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate for a peaceful pro-democracy rally, warning against the growing influence of the AfD ahead of the two regional elections scheduled for September 20.

Police estimated that around 5,000 people attended the Berlin demonstration, while organizers put the turnout at more than 14,000 as part of a campaign aimed at mobilizing voters against the AfD.

Protesters carried signs reading “Fascism is no alternative,” “Stop the Nazi AfD: end racism and cuts to social services,” and “History has its eyes on us.”

The demonstrations followed the AfD's strongest-ever result in a state election, with the party winning nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday. The Berlin rally was part of a wider wave of protests held across Germany following the result.

Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in Potsdam, while rallies were reported in Münster, Göttingen, Dresden, Aachen, Bamberg, Darmstadt, and Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt.

In Halle, the state's second-largest city, left-wing groups and civil society organizations have maintained a protest camp since election day.

With less than two weeks remaining before the September 20 elections, speakers in Berlin urged voters not to respond to the AfD's result with resignation or political apathy.

Jens-Christian Wagner, director of the memorial at the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald, described the nearly 44% result as a “disgrace that makes you furious and stunned.”

The AfD fell three votes short of the support needed to form a government under its candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, who is reportedly seeking support from dissenting lawmakers in other parties.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt branch as right-wing extremist since 2023, saying it poses a threat to democratic norms.