Over one million people demonstrated against the far-right over the weekend. In Hamburg and Munich, the organizers had to cancel the protest actions due to the large crowds. The protests were triggered by the revelations of “Correctiv” about a meeting of right-wing extremists, in which AfD politicians and individual members of the CDU and the very conservative Werteunion in Potsdam had participated.
The former head of the far-right Identitarian Movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, said that at the meeting he spoke about “remigration” – the deportation of people with a migration background, including German citizens.
AfD: No worries about protests – but “Members are indeed asking questions”
Despite the mass protests, the AfD is not worried about declining support. At least that’s what Carsten Hütter, treasurer of the AfD and part of the federal executive, told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. Hütter justified this with experiences he has gained at events and at his party’s information booths. However, there are some people who are now uncertain and asking for clarification due to the press reports. Hütter told the “Süddeutschen Zeitung”: “Even the own members are indeed asking questions.”
At a meeting of the AfD federal executive with the state chairmen, it was reportedly discussed on Saturday “briefly and intensively” whether and to what extent the AfD should react to the protests, according to Hütter. “But we still consider our course to be right.” According to Alice Weidel’s spokesperson, two approaches are being discussed: “Maintain course” or communicate better and clearer.
“Protests against far-right seem like a liberation blow”
Sociologist Klaus Hurrelmann interpreted the demonstrations as evidence of a change in mood in the population. “The protests against far-right seem like a liberation blow from groups of the population who, due to Corona and the many other challenges, have been busy with themselves for a very long time and would have almost overlooked what is at stake,” he told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Monday).
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