Thousands across Germany protest against AfD after election victory

The useful part

Thousands of people across Germany protested against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Monday following its landslide victory in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, reported dpa. In Berlin, police estimated a crowd of around 5,000 had gathered at Brandenburg Gate and said the demonstration passed without incident. The rally was called at short notice by campaign organization Campact and the Fridays for Future climate movement.

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• Among those taking part were prominent German climate activist Luisa Neubauer and the lead candidates of the Greens and The Left in Berlin's state election on September 20.
• Protesters carried banners with slogans including "Fascism is not an alternative" and "Stop AfD Nazis!
• In Schwerin, according to police reports, several hundred demonstrators gathered, while in Rostock, more than 500 people came together for a communal sing-along.
• Carrying rainbow flags and cardboard signs with messages such as "Ban the AfD now" and "No place for Nazis," the participants marched through the city centre.
• Hundreds of people also gathered in Potsdam to protest against the AfD, as did others in Hesse.

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Police said about 2,500 people demonstrated in Frankfurt on Sunday, calling for a review of the possibility of banning the AfD.

Details worth keeping

Organizers put the number of participants at around 14,000. End racism and social cuts," while crowds chanted: "All together against fascism!" The party won Sunday's election by a wide margin but fell short of an absolute majority, leaving open the possibility of Germany's first AfD-led state government. The domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD's state branch as "confirmed right-wing extremist." Protests were also called in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where a new state parliament will be elected later this month and the AfD is leading in the polls.