Too many people

250,000 people! Demonstration against right-wing extremism canceled

"Munich is colorful" was a common refrain on Sunday.

(Bild: APA/AFP/MICHAELA STACHE)

According to the organizers, around 250,000 people took part in the large demonstration against right-wing extremism in Munich on Sunday. The demonstration had to be called off for security reasons as the event area in the city center was completely overcrowded.

"We are approaching 200,000", was announced over loudspeakers on site shortly before the demonstration was broken off. Afterwards, the organizer even spoke of 250,000 participants. As on previous days, crowds had gathered in Munich to make a statement against right-wing extremism in general and the AfD party in particular. The police expected at least 80,000 demonstrators.

"No tolerance for intolerance"
Many people in Munich displayed placards against right-wing extremist ideas: "Remigrate to your knees", "Let's learn from history instead of repeating it", "No tolerance for intolerance", "AfD - A nightmare for Germany" and "Brown bottles belong in the bottle bank not in the Bundestag" were among the slogans.

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There were also demonstrations in other German cities on Sunday. In Cologne, for example, there was a large crowd at the demonstration, with the organizers even talking about 70,000 participants at the peak - an estimate that the police spokesperson described as "not unrealistic" in the afternoon. The event went off without a hitch.

According to the Campact network, 50,000 people took part in Bremen. Large crowds were also reported at the start of a demonstration in Stuttgart. According to police estimates, at least 60,000 people will also take part in a demonstration against right-wing extremism in Berlin on Sunday afternoon.

"Weekend of hope"
Hundreds of thousands of people had already demonstrated in numerous German cities on Friday and Saturday, with the Campact network estimating around half a million participants. CEO Christoph Bautz said it was a "weekend of hope". According to the police, 35,000 people took part in Frankfurt am Main on Saturday, with similarly high numbers reported in Hanover and Dortmund. Thousands also took to the streets in other cities. 

This is constitutional protection in action.

Niedersachsens Ministerpräsident über die Demos

Leading politicians from various parties backed the demonstrations. "This is constitutional protection in action", said Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD) at the demonstration in Hanover. He called for a clear stance against the right "wherever the opportunity arises" and to stand up for democracy and human rights. "Then Germany will have a good future," said Weil.

Right-wing extremist secret meeting as an occasion
The protests were prompted by revelations from the Correctiv network about a far-right secret meeting in Potsdam. The meeting had discussed plans for the mass deportation of people with a migration background and other Germans who support refugees, for example.

Participants included members of the AfD and the right-wing conservative Werteunion, which decided to found its own party to the right of the CDU and CSU on Saturday. However, the demonstrations are also fundamentally directed against the rise of right-wing extremism in Germany.