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Anti-AfD protests sweep Germany as far right closes in on two more states

From The Guardian · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Thousands of Germans protested against the far-right Alternative for Germany after its watershed victory in a state election.
  • A peaceful pro-democracy rally took place at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate as demonstrators warned the AfD could threaten upcoming elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
  • Protesters opposed the party’s anti-immigrant and pro-Russian positions, including its call for mass deportations of asylum seekers.

Thousands of Germans have taken to the streets against the Alternative for Germany after the far-right party’s watershed victory in a state election. The result has triggered alarm that Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania could be next.

At Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, demonstrators held a peaceful pro-democracy rally and denounced the AfD’s anti-immigrant and pro-Russian platform. The protests followed the party’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt, which has intensified concern ahead of two more state elections this month.

The AfD has called for the mass deportation of asylum seekers. It also supports rolling back state support for renewable energy and public broadcasting, positions that protesters cited as evidence of the danger they believe the party poses.

The demonstrations reflected the dismay caused by the election result, with one protester quoted as saying: “It breaks my heart.”

It breaks my heart

· ProtesterThe phrase captured the dismay following the AfD’s election victory.
About this summary

Originally published by The Guardian. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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