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🇩🇪 Germany /Elections & Politics

Around 1,200 people protest against the far-right shift in Essen after AfD election result

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Outcome reported
  • About 1,200 people joined a demonstration against the rightward shift in Essen, police said.
  • The protest followed the AfD’s strong performance in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt and drew more than twice the expected number of participants.
  • Demonstrators carried rainbow flags and signs including “Ban the AfD now” and “No place for Nazis”; police said the event remained peaceful.

Around 1,200 people marched through central Essen on Monday evening in a protest against Germany’s rightward shift, according to police.

The demonstration followed the AfD’s strong result in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt. More than twice as many people attended as organizers had expected when they registered the event. The rally was called by the alliance “Essen stands up.”

A speech published on the alliance’s website said the rise of a far-right party seeking power in Germany threatened people whom the AfD had made into enemies, including refugees, queer people and those dependent on social support. The speech called for solidarity with them.

Participants marched with numerous rainbow flags and cardboard signs reading “Ban the AfD now” and “No place for Nazis.” A police spokesman said the demonstration had proceeded without disruption.

If a far-right party in Germany reaches for power, this is a threat to everyone the AfD has made into enemies.

· Essen stands upThe alliance’s published speech framed the protest as a show of solidarity with groups targeted by the AfD.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, 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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