Latest news with #anti-AfD
Euronews
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Protesters drown out live interview with AfD leader Alice Weidel
A scheduled live, open-air television interview with the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel, was drowned out on Sunday by boisterous protesters. The demonstrators, which positioned themselves across the River Spree from the televised set-up in Berlin's government quarter, sang songs, blew whistles and shouted anti-AfD slogans. Weidel and her host, public broadcaster ARD's Markus Preiß, had to lean forward multiple times to understand the questions posed by the other. Both Weidel and Preiß acknowledged the "difficult conditions," saying that at times it was almost impossible to understand each other. "I've got an echo in my ear, now I can't hear anything," Weidel said at one point, before removing an earplug from her ear and continuing the interview. The activist group, the Centre for Political Beauty, claimed responsibility for the rally, explaining that they equipped a bus with extremely powerful loudspeakers for the occasion. The group have a history of planning disruptive protests, including recently hanging a banner up on the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin depicting Weidel and Chancellor Friedrich Merz kissing. Twenty-five people were involved in the protest, which took place with no arrests. Weidel, later posting clips of the interview on X, claimed that the protest was organised by an NGO. "By the way, this is what it looks like when the Tagesschau programme conducts a summer interview with the AfD in CDU-governed Berlin," Weidel wrote on X. A spokesperson for the broadcaster that organised the interview, ARD, said that it would "drew conclusions" from the incident and "take precautions in the future." "An undisturbed course of the interviews is in our interest and above all in the interest of the audience" the spokeswoman said in response to a DPA inquiry. Politician Carsten Linnemann, a member of Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) criticised the action, arguing that the protest drew favourable attention to the AfD. "If you want to make the AfD strong, you should disturb such interviews," Linnemann told domestic media, adding he recommended counteracting the AfD in terms of their policies and content rather than arrange protest action. Weidel's interview was part of a series of "summer interviews" typically given by the leaders of Germany's largest political parties to public broadcaster ARD. The AfD are currently the second largest political force in Germany's parliament and in the polls, where latest figures show them achieving 25%, just behind the CDU with 27%.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Thousands march in Germany against the far right
Thousands of people protested against the far right across Germany on Sunday, as the AfD party appeals a decision to label it an "extremist" group. #Operation Sindoor India responds to Pak's ceasefire violation; All that happened India-Pakistan ceasefire reactions: Who said what Punjab's hopes for normalcy dimmed by fresh violations Germany's domestic intelligence service last week labelled the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party a "right-wing extremist" group, accusing it of seeking to undermine the country's democracy. It suspended the classification while AfD's appeal of the measure moves through the courts. On Sunday anti-AfD demonstrators marched in 60 localities across Germany, following a call by the " Together against the Right " group. In Berlin 3,000 protesters gathered in front of the famed Brandenburg gate, according to the police. Organisers put the turnout at 7,000. Live Events "Together against fascism," they chanted. "AfD is not a normal party and should not be treated as such," the organiser group said on its website. "It is now time to seriously examine banning the party." The AfD however has been growing in popularity. In February's elections it came second only to the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives. It says the intelligence service decision against it is politically motivated.
Local Germany
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
German far left in surprise comeback ahead of election
"I say to everyone out there: don't give up, fight back, resist fascism," Heidi Reichinnek said in a recent parliament speech against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and those who cooperate with it. "To the barricades!" declared the 36-year-old, who has a picture of the revolutionary left's icon Rosa Luxemburg tattooed on her left forearm, in a fiery speech that has racked up over 6.5 million views on TikTok. Die Linke has been especially popular among young voters with its promise to fight for social justice, tax the rich, bring down surging rents and make public transport cheaper. With the anti-immigration AfD polling at a record 20 percent ahead of Sunday's election, Die Linke has become a standard bearer in the pushback against the extreme right. Founded from the ashes of communist East Germany's ruling party, it had been plagued by infighting and a damaging defection and until recently faced the threat of political oblivion. Only weeks ago, Die Linke was polling below the five-percent threshold for reentry into parliament, but latest polls give it between seven and nine percent. It's a strong comeback for the party that was in disarray after its key figure Sahra Wagenknecht left the party early last year to found her own "left-wing conservative" movement, the BSW. But while Die Linke has been on the up and up in recent weeks, the BSW, which also demands curbs on irregular immigration, is now hovering around the five-percent death zone and must fear for its survival. 'Anger in my belly' Reichinnek joined Die Linke in 2015 with "anger in my belly about many social injustices", she told AFP. The MP who spent time in Cairo during the Arab Spring protests also has an arm tattoo of a street art image showing ancient Egypt's queen Nefertiti with a gas mask. "I really wanted to find people who saw things the same way as me, with whom I could change things together, and I found them in Die Linke," she said. Reichinnek was relatively unknown before her blistering speech in the Bundestag against the AfD and the conservative CDU/CSU alliance. The conservatives had breached a long-standing taboo by accepting AfD votes to push through a motion calling for an immigration crackdown. The shattering of the anti-AfD "firewall" sparked mass street protests. Since the fateful vote and Reichinnek's spirited response, Die Linke has seen a surge in grassroots support with membership reaching its highest point in 15 years. In a recent mock election of under-18s, Die Linke emerged as the biggest party at 20.8 percent. The party had already laid the groundwork with a light-hearted social media campaign centred around three of its "old comrades" aged in their 60s and 70s -- Bodo Ramelow, Dietmar Bartsch and Gregor Gysi. Die Linke has run an "effective" campaign and set "very clear priorities", said political scientist Antonios Souris of Berlin's Free University. Berlin student Thomas Jaeschke, 23, who has been distributing Linke flyers and putting up campaign posters, said the mood in the party was "very positive". "At the campaign events there are really a lot of people there, some from all over Germany and a lot of newcomers," Jaeschke said. He puts this down to a "well-communicated" campaign focused on core left-wing values such as "rent prices and redistribution of wealth", but also credited Reichinnek with "mobilising younger people in particular". 'German duty' It's a far cry from a year ago, when Die Linke was plunged into crisis as Wagenknecht, 55, left to set up the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The new, Moscow-friendly party made a strong start, scoring 6.2 percent at EU elections last June and entering the government after two eastern regional elections. Die Linke scored just 2.7 percent of the EU vote. But support for BSW has waned this year as the party was hit by infighting and corruption allegations. BSW drew the ire of many left-wingers when it also joined the AfD in voting for a drastic crackdown on immigration in parliament. "In the end, Wagenknecht has not made the impact in the media that BSW might have hoped for," Souris said. Berlin hairdresser Thomas Marienfeld, 43, said he voted for BSW in the EU elections but has now joined Die Linke. Backing Wagenknecht in June was an "impulsive" decision that he regretted when he saw her party "voting with the AfD", he said. Watching Reichinnek's speech, he said "I was 100 percent saying, 'Yes!' If the world swings to the right, then it is my German duty to go left." By Claudia HORN and Femke COLBORNE
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German far left in surprise comeback ahead of election
Germany's far-left Die Linke party has enjoyed a late poll surge ahead of Sunday's elections, boosted by a spirited anti-fascist speech by its new rising star that quickly went viral. "I say to everyone out there: don't give up, fight back, resist fascism," Heidi Reichinnek said in a recent parliament speech against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and those who cooperate with it. "To the barricades!" declared the 36-year-old, who has a picture of the revolutionary left's icon Rosa Luxemburg tattooed on her left forearm, in a fiery speech that has racked up over 6.5 million views on TikTok. Die Linke has been especially popular among young voters with its promise to fight for social justice, tax the rich, bring down surging rents and make public transport cheaper. With the anti-immigration AfD polling at a record 20 percent ahead of Sunday's election, Die Linke has become a standard bearer in the pushback against the extreme right. Founded from the ashes of communist East Germany's ruling party, it had been plagued by infighting and a damaging defection and until recently faced the threat of political oblivion. Only weeks ago, Die Linke was polling below the five-percent threshold for reentry into parliament, but latest polls give it between seven and nine percent. It's a strong comeback for the party that was in disarray after its key figure Sahra Wagenknecht left the party early last year to found her own "left-wing conservative" movement, the BSW. But while Die Linke has been on the up and up in recent weeks, the BSW, which also demands curbs on irregular immigration, is now hovering around the five-percent death zone and must fear for its survival. - 'Anger in my belly' - Reichinnek joined Die Linke in 2015 with "anger in my belly about many social injustices", she told AFP. The MP who spent time in Cairo during the Arab Spring protests also has an arm tattoo of a street art image showing ancient Egypt's queen Nefertiti with a gas mask. "I really wanted to find people who saw things the same way as me, with whom I could change things together, and I found them in Die Linke," she said. Reichinnek was relatively unknown before her blistering speech in the Bundestag against the AfD and the conservative CDU/CSU alliance. The conservatives had breached a long-standing taboo by accepting AfD votes to push through a motion calling for an immigration crackdown. The shattering of the anti-AfD "firewall" sparked mass street protests. Since the fateful vote and Reichinnek's spirited response, Die Linke has seen a surge in grassroots support with membership reaching its highest point in 15 years. In a recent mock election of under-18s, Die Linke emerged as the biggest party at 20.8 percent. The party had already laid the groundwork with a light-hearted social media campaign centred around three of its "old comrades" aged in their 60s and 70s -- Bodo Ramelow, Dietmar Bartsch and Gregor Gysi. Die Linke has run an "effective" campaign and set "very clear priorities", said political scientist Antonios Souris of Berlin's Free University. Berlin student Thomas Jaeschke, 23, who has been distributing Linke flyers and putting up campaign posters, said the mood in the party was "very positive". "At the campaign events there are really a lot of people there, some from all over Germany and a lot of newcomers," Jaeschke said. He puts this down to a "well-communicated" campaign focused on core left-wing values such as "rent prices and redistribution of wealth", but also credited Reichinnek with "mobilising younger people in particular". - 'German duty' - It's a far cry from a year ago, when Die Linke was plunged into crisis as Wagenknecht, 55, left to set up the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The new, Moscow-friendly party made a strong start, scoring 6.2 percent at EU elections last June and entering the government after two eastern regional elections. Die Linke scored just 2.7 percent of the EU vote. But support for BSW has waned this year as the party was hit by infighting and corruption allegations. BSW drew the ire of many left-wingers when it also joined the AfD in voting for a drastic crackdown on immigration in parliament. "In the end, Wagenknecht has not made the impact in the media that BSW might have hoped for," Souris said. Berlin hairdresser Thomas Marienfeld, 43, said he voted for BSW in the EU elections but has now joined Die Linke. Backing Wagenknecht in June was an "impulsive" decision that he regretted when he saw her party "voting with the AfD", he said. Watching Reichinnek's speech, he said "I was 100 percent saying, 'Yes!' If the world swings to the right, then it is my German duty to go left." fec/fz/fg
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tens of thousands protest against far-right ahead of Germany election
Thousands of people in Germany took to the streets on Saturday in protests in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Dusseldorf and other cities, opposing the far-right which is polling in second place ahead of elections on February 23. Berlin gay parade against far right Berlin's gay community held a colourful procession through central Berlin on Saturday, calling for their rights to be respected, a week before the parliamentary elections. "Kisses for all, but not for the AfD," was inscribed on placards in reference to the far-right party currently polling at 20% but rejected by the mainstream parties. Others read: "Choose love" or "We're queer, but we're staying here." A police spokeswoman put the turnout at around 6,000. The procession was held under the banner "Christopher Street Day," the same as Pride in most other countries. The name refers to a 1969 incident in New York's Greenwich Village at the Stonewall Inn. Andre Lehmann, a spokesman for the organizers, put the number at more than 15,000. "The atmosphere is great," Lehmann said, as the demonstrators braved icy temperatures. The aim of the demonstration was to show that gay rights were non-negotiable in a democracy, he said. Demos in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg In Frankfurt, more than 15,000 came out to protest against right-wing extremism under the rubric "Choose love for as long as you still can," according to the police estimate. Organizers put the number at 20,000. In Osnabrück, up to 3,000 people marched through the city, while a demonstration in Braunschweig drew 2,000 people. Police said the protests were peaceful. A pride parade in Hanover drew more than 800 people marching for gay rights and democracy and a similar rally in Hamburg drew some 3,800. An anti-AfD protest in the western city of Dusseldorf drew around 13,000 people by afternoon, with the numbers still growing, according to police. A spokesman said the demonstration was proceeding peacefully.
