Mass demonstrations in Berlin: 150,000 people protest against the far-right

(Patria) - Around 150,000 people took to the streets of Berlin on Saturday as nationwide protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) entered their fourth week.

Protests were also held in cities such as Dresden and Hanover, in a sign of growing alarm over strong public support for the AfD.

People gathered in front of the Reichstag parliament building in Berlin under the slogan "We are the firewall" to protest against right-wing extremism and show support for democracy.

"Whether in Eisenach, Homburg or Berlin: in small and large cities across the country, many citizens are coming together to demonstrate against forgetting, against hatred and hate speech," Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X.

He said the protests were a "strong sign in favour of democracy and our constitution".

The AfD's success has caused concern among Germany's main parties, who fear it could win three state elections in eastern Germany in September, although recent polls have shown a slight drop in AfD support.

Jakob Springfeld, who speaks for the NGO Solidarity Network Saxony, said he was shocked it had taken so long for mass demonstrations against the far-right, given that the AfD had already been successful in many smaller communities.

"But now there has been an earthquake. And the fact that an earthquake is coming gives hope, which I believe in."

Earlier this week, a Forsa poll showed support for the AfD had fallen below 20% for the first time since July, with voters citing the nationwide protests against the far-right as the most important issue.

According to the poll, the AfD remains in second place behind the main conservative opposition with 32%, while Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats came third with 15%.

The protests followed a report last month that two senior AfD members had attended a meeting where plans for the mass deportation of citizens of foreign origin were discussed. The AfD denied that the proposal represented party policy.

AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla told broadcaster Deutschlanfunk that while it was "legitimate to take to the streets with the government", protesters should not allow themselves to be used to distract parties from the real problems in the country.

Chrupalla said Germany includes Germans of migrant origin and his party has no plans to expel them, Reuters reports.