Germany against the radical right: Thousands form human chain in the Ruhr

(Patria) - Thousands of people in the Ruhr district of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia formed a human chain yesterday to advocate for diversity and unity.

Tens of thousands of people have been taking to the streets across Germany for weeks to protest against far-right extremism.

Under the motto "Side by side for democracy and humanity," around 5,000 demonstrators joined the protests in the cities of Herne and Bochum, said an organizer, citing police sources.

Although there were one or two gaps in the kilometer-long chain between the city halls of both cities, other areas were particularly active, said the organizer.

The mayors of Bochum, Thomas Eiskirch, and Herne, Frank Dudda, also participated in the protests.

The initiative was organized by humanitarian organizations from the Ruhr region cities. According to them, the protest is also a stance against the "inhumane plans of the AfD and other far-right extremist circles to expel millions of people living in Germany."

This refers to secret plans for large-scale deportation of migrants, which were discussed at meetings of AfD members and well-known far-right figures.

The national protests were triggered by a report from the investigative media outlet Correctiv about a meeting in Potsdam on November 25. In addition to AfD members, some CDU members and the arch-conservative Values Union were also present.

The wave of protests comes ahead of elections in eastern federal states this year, where the AfD is expected to perform well. Numerous church, trade union, and political party associations also participated.