Merkel, Muslims and immigration: right and left square off on the streets of Berlin in rival protests
The AfD march marks the first public show of strength by the nationalist outfit since it became the largest opposition party
Thousands of demonstrators for and against the far-right faced off in mass rival rallies in Berlin on Sunday, where calls of “We are the people” were met with chants of “Go away, Nazis” and techno music.
Police officers were deployed to keep groups apart and prevent clashes, as far-left militants vowed to “sabotage” the march by the anti-immigrant, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
On Twitter, Berlin police said they had to use pepper spray to stop “demonstrators from trying to break down barriers” separating the rallies at Berlin’s Leipziger square. They also announced bridge closures to avoid AfD demonstrators running into opponents.
The counter-demos, organised under the banner “Stop the hatred, Stop the AfD”, were triggered by a call from the far-right party for its supporters to march in the capital “for the future of Germany”.
According to police, “several thousand” AfD supporters answered the call, assembling at Berlin’s main train station shortly after midday before making their way to the iconic Brandenburg Gate.