In Berlin, the crowd takes the streets against the far right. The march went to CDU headquarters, but was retained for security due to the large number of protesters Photo: Reproduction/ Twitter

At least 380,000 protesters took to the streets of several cities in Germany this weekend to protest against the rise of the far right and the connivance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with the Alternative Ultranationalist Party for Germany (AFD).

The main target of the demonstrations was the conservative Friedrich Merz, leader of voting intentions and CDU, whose strategy of having vows from AFD in the German parliament last Friday (31) lit alerts about the breakup of the ā€œsanitary cordā€ against Extrema right.

In Berlin, about 160,000 people participated in the protests on Sunday (2), according to local police. According to the organizers, there were 250 thousand. Police admitted that the count was complex, as several protests occurred at the same time. All left the surroundings of Parliament in the city center to the headquarters of the CDU.

The caravan, accompanied by more than 500 police officers, began to withdraw blocks before the subtitle address, because ā€œthere are many people on the street,ā€ repeated a police spokesman with a megaphone, effusively applauded every time he confirmed the size of the crowd. The initial expectation was 60,000 participants.

On Saturday (1st), other German cities, such as Hamburg, Leipzig, Cologne and Stuttgart, were also the scene of demonstrations, totaling more than 220,000 participants over the weekend.

The acts were organized by unions, social movements, leftist parties and Jewish entities, all united by the motto ā€œWir Sind Die Brandmauer!ā€ (ā€œWe are the barrier of fire!ā€, German term for the sanitary cord).

The indignation of the protesters was driven by Merz’s recent decision to propose and vote restrictive measures against immigration in Bundestag (German Parliament), with support from AFD. CDU’s leader’s stance was interpreted as a standardization of the extreme right discourse and a break from the historical institutional isolation of the ultranationalist acronym.

“Nein, Friedrich” (“No, Friedrich”) was one of the most viewed messages among the posters erected during the protests. Another phrase that gained prominence was ā€œ5 minutes to 1933ā€, in reference to the year in which Adolf Hitler took power in Germany.

Merz and the controversy with the sanitary cord

Since the end of World War II, the German political system has had a “sanitary cord” against far -right parties. This barrier prevents coalitions or joint votes between democratic parties and fascist bias formations. The CDU, until then, maintained this commitment.

However, in recent months, the caption has adopted a more ambiguous posture. Indirect alliances between CDU and AFD have already been recorded in East German states such as TurĆ­ngia and Saxony-Anhalt, where the far right has gained strength.

Merz’s decision to rely on AFD votes to approve anti-imigratory projects was criticized by several political leaders, including former chancer Angela Merkel, who warned about the risks of giving up space to the far right. The CDU, in turn, tries to minimize criticism, claiming that its position is based only on the urgency of the debate on immigration.

Repercussion and political response

Several German politicians participated in the protests to reinforce the importance of the defense of democracy. Vice-chancer Robert Habeck (Green) and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) were among those present. Michael Friedman, a Jewish journalist and activist, spoke in Berlin, condemning Merz for his tacit approach to AFD and announcing his departure from CDU.

ā€œWe are here because we are against racism and anti -Semitism. We need to act before it’s late, ā€said Friedman.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz also commented, criticizing the CDU for ā€œflirting with extreme right ideasā€ and warning of the risks this represents for German democracy.

CDU and AFD: the risks of normalizing extremism

Merz insists that ā€œthere is no collaborationā€ between CDU and AFD, but reality points to the opposite. Last week, CDU voted alongside AFD in Parliament to harden migratory laws, which granted to the far right its first legislative victory in Bundestag. This decision generated revolt not only on the left, but also among more moderate CDU sectors.

Historically, episodes of connivance between conservatives and extremists resulted in democratic tragedies. The case of Franz von Papen, who helped Hitler come to power in 1933 believing he could “control it,” is an uncomfortable memory for Germany.

The story has already shown that permissiveness with extremist speeches charges a high price.

Source: vermelho.org.br



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