Germany's far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) was on Saturday after reports revealed that it was discussing deporting millions of immigrants, including German citizens, late last year. , was met with large numbers of demonstrators.
Investigative journalism organization Collective on Wednesday released a report on the November meeting between the AfD and the Identity Movement (IM), in which IM member Martin Sellner said he was concerned about immigration outside Germany, including those who already had citizenship. He claimed to have presented a “re-migration” plan. However, the integration failed.
The AfD confirmed that the meeting, which was reportedly filmed on hidden cameras, took place, but denied claims that it reflected party policy.
“The AfD does not change its position on immigration policy because of a single opinion in a non-AfD meeting,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
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People gather at Schlossplatz in Stuttgart, Germany, on Saturday as part of a nationwide demonstration against right-wing extremism. (Christoph Schmidt/DPA, via AP)
On Saturday, demonstrators across Germany held signs saying “Never again now,” “Defend democracy” and “No to hatred” as the rallies drew comparisons to the Nazis.
According to police, about 35,000 people took part in Saturday's demonstration in Frankfurt and 50,000 in Hamburg. Other cities including Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Hannover also held events.
The Hamburg demonstration ended early due to safety concerns due to the size of the crowd.
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Large-scale protests are also planned for Sunday in cities including Berlin and Munich.
The report and subsequent protests renewed calls for the AfD to be banned in the country.
German demonstrators hold placards reading “Stop AfD!” in Erfurt, Germany, on Saturday as part of nationwide demonstrations against right-wing extremism. (Jacob Schroeter/DPA via AP)
The AfD was founded in 2013 and has around 23% support in the country, according to opinion polls.
AfD was the first far-right party since the Nazis to win last year's mayoral and district council elections. It also made significant gains in the state elections in Bavaria and Hesse.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized the AfD and the Identarian movement in a statement on social media last week, comparing them to the Third Reich.
“We protect everyone, no matter where they come from, the color of their skin, or how offensive someone is to fanatics with assimilation fantasies,” Scholz said.
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Immigration has become a top issue in this country, but Scholz himself has previously acknowledged that there are “too many immigrants.”
Fox News' Timothy HJ Nerozzi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
