
At least 160,000 demonstrators, according to police, took to the streets of Berlin on Sunday to protest the conservative CDU’s unprecedented overtures towards the far-right AfD.
Organizers claimed the turnout reached 200,000.
The protest erupted after the CDU, led by Friedrich Merz, sought the AfD’s support to pass an anti-immigration bill, a move that shattered the long-standing “firewall” against cooperation with the far right, a taboo deeply rooted in Germany’s history.
The rally, which began near the Bundestag, saw protesters chanting slogans like “Shame on you CDU” and marching towards the party’s headquarters.
Many accused the CDU of making a “pact with the devil.”
“We can no longer avert our gaze, it’s too serious,” said Anna Schwarz, a first-time protester.
The CDU’s actions sparked widespread outrage across Germany, with many fearing a potential coalition between the conservatives and the far right.
“To see the CDU speaking and the AfD clapping, it’s terrifying,” said Oez, a self-proclaimed “queer militant.”
The protest followed a week of escalating tensions, triggered by a deadly knife attack on a group of kindergarten children.
Merz, seeking to capitalize on the tragedy, launched an aggressive immigration crackdown, further fueling concerns about a shift towards the right.