Berlin CNN —
Huge crowds of protesters have converged on cities across Germany as demonstrations calling for a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) gain momentum.
Tens of thousands have already braved sub-zero temperatures to protest against the party this week after it emerged that senior AfD members discussed a plan to mass deport migrants in revelations that have been likened to the Nazi era.
Under the motto “Defend democracy – Frankfurt against the AfD,” up to 35,000 people gathered in Frankfurt on Saturday, and a similar number of people also gathered in the northern city of Hanover, as the German newspaper “Der Spiegel” reported.
There were also big crowds in Stuttgart, Dortmund and Nuremberg.
In a video message published on Friday evening, Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed this weekend's protests as “good and right”.
He added that he was trying to imagine “how the more than 20 million citizens with a migration history feel about the deportation plans.”
There have already been protests with up to 30,000 people in cities such as Berlin, Leipzig, Rostock, Essen and Cologne. On Wednesday, demonstrators gathered in front of the capital's brick town hall with placards reading “Nazis out” and chanting slogans against far-right AfD politician Björn Höcke.
People are outraged by reports that senior members of the AfD discussed a “master plan” for the mass deportation of German asylum seekers and German citizens of foreign origin at a meeting late last year.
Jacob Schroeter/dpa/AP
People hold a banner in Erfurt on Saturday that reads: “Never again is now! You have to practice anti-fascism yourself.”
Michael Probst/AP
On Saturday, people demonstrated in Frankfurt with a banner saying “Never again 1933!”
The meeting of AfD members, neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists took place on November 25th in a lakeside hotel outside the city of Potsdam.
It only came to light on January 10, when investigative journalist network Correctiv exposed the meeting, sparking a wave of protests across Germany.
In its report on the private meeting, Correctiv wrote: “The events that will take place today at the Hotel Landhaus Adlon will seem like a dystopian drama.” Only they are real.
“And they will show what can happen when the frontmen of right-wing extremist ideas, representatives of the AfD and wealthy sympathizers come together.”
“The meeting should remain secret at all costs,” the report said.
The AfD denies that such plans are part of its policy, and the AfD leadership tried to distance itself from the gathering by describing it as a “private event and not an AfD party event.”
Alice Weidel, the party's co-chair, announced on Monday that she was parting ways with her adviser Roland Hartwig – who Correctiv said was involved in the talks. The AfD told CNN that the two had “separated by mutual consent.”
However, the idea of a “mass deportation plan” was openly supported by an AfD representative in the state of Brandenberg.
René Springer wrote on his account on X: “We will return foreigners to their homeland.” Millions of times. This is not a secret plan. It's a promise.
“For more security. For more justice. To preserve our identity. For Germany.”
Many have pointed out that the mass deportation plan is reminiscent of the Nazi era from 1933 to 1945, when millions of people were transported against their will to concentration, forced labor and extermination camps.
“The plans to deport millions of people are reminiscent of the darkest chapter in German history,” wrote Christian Dürr, parliamentary group leader of the neoliberal FDP, on X.
Rika von Gierke, a speaker and activist preparing for a demonstration in Frankfurt on Saturday, told CNN that the AfD's plans “bring back terrible memories.”
“I saw a banner yesterday that said, 'Now is the time to show what we would have done in place of our grandparents.'
“There are parallels. It is definitely time to stand up to the right and confront the anti-democratic forces.”
She added that AfD members had “made concrete plans to deport millions of people from Germany.” We see clearly that these plans are inhumane and an attack on our democracy and the rule of law as well as on many of our fellow citizens.”
Kazin Abaci, a protest organizer from Hamburg, told CNN the demonstrations were important “because we are dealing with very strong right-wing extremism and neo-Nazi networks in Germany.”
He continued: “This meeting in Potsdam has once again shown how urgent it is that not only politicians speak out, but that a strong signal is sent from the middle of society in defense of democracy and our state.”
Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/picture Alliance/dpa/Getty Images
The picture shows Chancellor Scholz and Foreign Minister Baerbock at the “Potsdam defends itself” demonstrations.
When asked whether he thought the protests would encourage people to stop voting for the AfD, Abaci was confident. “There is a core group of AfD voters who vote for this party out of conviction, but of course there are also voters who voted for the AfD out of protest.”
“But now it is time for them to wake up and realize that we are not dealing with a protest party, but with a right-wing extremist party. Our rally could help these people finally wake up.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took part in rallies in Potsdam on Sunday.
Baerbock said she was there as someone who “stands for democracy and against old and new fascism,” while Scholz this week thanked protesters for taking to the streets “against racism, hate speech and for our liberal democracy.” had gone.
Paving a path to ban the AfD could prove difficult and could backfire. German politicians discussed this week the possibility of appealing to the Constitutional Court to enforce a ban.
The German Basic Law states that parties that want to undermine the “free democratic basic order” should be considered unconstitutional.
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck told Stern magazine that “the damage that a failed attempt would cause would be enormous.”
“Therefore, if a case is filed, it would have to hold up absolutely 100% in court. “You have to think about that very carefully,” he adds.
For many, the public display of a backlash against the AfD is crucial, as the far-right party recently achieved record-breaking poll numbers and is expected to make significant gains in state elections in the eastern states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg this year.
According to a current survey by the opinion research institute Forsa, the AfD currently has over 30% of the vote in all three federal states and is therefore significantly above its competitors.
Nadine Schmidt reported from Berlin and Sophie Tanno wrote in London.