Germany: Thousands crowd central Berlin to protest far right

"We have surrounded the entire Bundestag building," shouted Tareq Alaows, an activist and speaker with the Pro Asyl group that supports asylum-seekers, into his microphone early on Saturday afternoon. "We have formed a living firewall!"

On a rainy, cold Saturday, thousands of people gathered in the heart of Berlin, near the Reichstag parliament building, not far from the chancellery, the iconic Brandenburg Gate and central train station. They had turned out to take a stand against right-wing extremism.

The demonstrators gathered under the slogan "We are the Firewall," a reference to the taboo against working with the far right in German politics. The rally was organized by an alliance of organizations called "Hand in Hand — Act in Solidarity Now!"

Organizers estimated that some 300,000 people attended the protest, while police estimates put that figure at around 150,000.

The major rally was the latest in series of similar protests over the past few weeks. On Saturday, protesters also gathered in other parts of Germany to stand up against right-wing extremism. Around 30,000 people took to the streets in Freiburg and Dresden, and some 25,000 in Nuremberg and Augsburg, as well as in many other cities.

Largest protest since mid-January

Judging by official police estimates, Saturday's rally in Berlin was the largest protest since mid-January, when nationwide protests kicked off a wave of rallies against the far right. These demonstrations began after a report published by media outlet Correctiv on January 10 revealed that party members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) had met right-wing extremists, some Christian Democrats (CDU) and business people in November 2023 to discuss plans for mass deportations from Germany.

Since then, millions of Germans have taken a stand against right-wing extremism. The number of organizations calling for Berliners to protest has grown to well over 1,800. Among them are prominent civil society associations, including all major charities and many committed albeit little known activists.

About two dozen speakers addressed the Berlin crowd on Saturday, many of them younger than 40. One of the better-known speakers was Luisa Neubauer, of the Fridays for Future climate protests. She hoped Saturday's rally would give rise to a broad social movement to counter right-wing extremism and violence.

"Hope doesn't fall from the sky. Hope is damn hard work," Neubauer told protesters. "You don't have democracy. You live democracy."

Protesters were seen brandishing a host of homemade placards with witty slogans — many of which were directed at the right-wing populist AfD. Calls for more social work, better education and for strengthening initiatives to tackle right-wing extremism drew applause from everyone, whereas slogans directed against the incumbent three-party coalition and opposition CDU/CSU parties were not well received.

Speakers from Germany's eastern states of Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony received particular applause and cheers. They described living in fear, being harassed and subjected to violence by the far right — but also lauded a new awareness among civil society actors.

"Sending greetings of solidarity to all those taking to the streets in Dresden and Glauchau today," 21-year-old student and author Jakob Springfeld told the crowd. "That's where it counts." Both cities are home to right-wing extremist milieus. Most protesters paid close attention to speeches like these, including to reports detailing growing pressure from right-wing extremists and acts of violence against journalists, including the Correctiv team.

'Freedom, democracy, plurality'

Saturday's colorful crowd included many families, some of them spanning three generations.

"I want my children to learn what democracy and participating in public life means from an early age, and how to stand up for their rights," a mother of two small children from Berlin's Wedding district told DW. An older lady told DW she had come to the rally because of "freedom, democracy, plurality, and to keep Berlin like Berlin."

Jannis, a teacher who didn't want to give his last name, attended the protest with a group of people from South Korea, Vietnam and China. His held a sign reading "We are Germany," with the phrase "Germany is us" on the back. "We as a community of Asians want to show that we also belong to Germany," he told DW.

"When we take a stand against the right, it shows how much we belong to this society," he added. Jannis, who hails from China, told DW he has been living in Germany for 20 years, working and paying taxes. "And yet I always have the feeling that I have to go the extra mile, that I always need to prove I belong."

One of his colleagues could be seen holding a cardboard sign reading: "Skilled workers from abroad? Openness and diversity are the prerequisites."

More protests planned for Sunday

While the Berlin rally was the largest such protest in Germany on Saturday, it was by no means the only one. And more protests were set to follow on Sunday. Special attention was also being paid to eastern Germany, where smaller towns will see some of largest protest since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Toward the end of Saturday's rally in Berlin, one final speaker told attendees that another large protest is due to be held in the same location on June 8 — the day before the European Parliament elections in Germany.

This article was originally written in German.