Tens of thousands protest against far-right AfD in Germany

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on Saturday to protest against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), days after the party secured a historic election victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Organizers reported approximately 150,000 participants in rallies held in roughly 20 cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. The protests were called by Pruef, a campaign group advocating for a ban on the AfD. In Erfurt, police estimated that around 15,000 people blocked roads leading to the party's annual conference. "We want to make it clear that we simply won't tolerate this, that fascism is on the rise here in Germany," said Georg Becker, a spokesperson for the anti-AfD umbrella group Widersetzen Resist. The demonstrations followed the AfD's landslide win in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on September 6. The party won nearly 44% of the vote, securing 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament. This result placed it far ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which received roughly 17% of the vote. The AfD is now seeking to form a state government in Saxony-Anhalt.