Latest news with #anti-AfD
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.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany's Left party stages late poll surge with fiery call to the 'barricades'
By Leon Kuegeler BERLIN (Reuters) - The successor to East Germany's Communist Party has made a late surge two weeks before a national election after its leader stood up in parliament to lash the front-running conservatives for breaking a historic taboo on cooperating with the far right. Many legislators were numb after the conservatives passed a non-binding motion on restricting immigration on January 29 with the votes of the nationalist, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), unprecedented in a nation still painfully aware of its Nazi past. But Heidi Reichinnek was in her element. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. "To the barricades!" she shouted in a speech that, polls suggest, has single-handedly rescued her party from oblivion and added a late twist to the election campaign. Speaking so fast that the words tumbled over each other, the 36-year-old accused conservative leader Friedrich Merz of recklessness for letting the AfD claim its first parliamentary victory. "You still don't get it," she told Merz, drumming the lectern, before urging voters: "Stand up to fascism in this country!" The speech has been seen over 30 million times on social media and, while other parties' posts are more viewed, the Left's posts have more "likes" - suggesting that engagement is genuine and not the result of paid promotion. A month ago, the party was languishing below the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, deflated by the defection of its best-known figure, Sahra Wagenknecht, who took half its legislators to set up her own leftist-nativist party. GERMANS PROTEST AT CONSERVATIVES' TOLERANCE OF FAR RIGHT But her Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) has flagged. It abstained on Merz's motion and, with the AfD, backed a similar draft law he attempted to pass two days later, disappointing those who had hoped it would be an anti-AfD bulwark. The vote sparked protests nationwide and Reichinnek, a social worker from eastern Germany now living in the west, seemed to satisfy a broad hunger for a stronger political repudiation of the AfD. The Left was still only scoring 7% in a survey released on Friday, but that was still its highest in years in a race of tight margins, with the BSW down at 4% from a high of 8%. As disquiet grows over the power of billionaires, much of its appeal lies in its hard-left economic policies: its president Jan van Aken, a former U.N. weapons inspector, often sports a "Tax the Rich" t-shirt. Merz's conservatives rule out working with a party whose predecessor ran a pro-Soviet dictatorship for 40 years, so it has almost no chance of entering government. But the Left's gains are a warning to the centre-left Social Democrats and Greens, who could be asked to help Merz form a ruling coalition after February 23. The Left is especially strong among fickle younger voters, where the SPD is weak, and its surge suggests that both the SPD and the ecologist-leftist Greens risk losing support on the left if they fish for voters on the right.
