More than 100,000 people turned out across Germany on Saturday in protest against the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, which sparked an outcry after it emerged that the party’s members discussed mass deportation plans at a meeting of extremists.
In Frankfurt, about 35,000 people joined a call under the banner “Defend democracy – Frankfurt against the AfD”, marching in the financial heart of Germany. A similar number, some carrying posters like “Nazis out”, turned up in the northern city of Hanover.
Protests were also held in cities including Braunschweig, Erfurt and Kassel and many smaller towns, mirroring mobilisation every day over the past week. In all, demonstrations have been called in about 100 locations across Germany from Friday through the weekend, including in Berlin on Sunday.
Politicians, churches and Bundesliga coaches have all urged people to stand up against the AfD.
Honestly I’m sick and tired of “does not justify”. In the end our moral judgement doesn’t matter, the precariat was pissed enough to vote AfD even though their general demographics (eastern precariat) points to socialist. Pissed at the labour aristocrat left, that is, and no amount of moralising could ever change that, only change of implemented policy. Think unaffordable rent, precarious employment relations being de facto legal, constant “wellfare queen” type agitation. BSW got a huge amount of votes in the first polls representing those affected who weren’t willing to protest vote for Nazis, now that the first polls are out and it’s seen as a viable alternative to mess with the labour aristocracy I’d expect quite a bit more than 50% of AfD voters to move there.
And with that we’ve come full circle, the protest voters achieved their goal: They get to vote for politicians who actually give a fuck about their lot. And that necessitating first voting for Nazis is a declaration of bankruptcy on the part of the established left. I absolutely have a fuckton of issues with Zarenknecht but gods we need a party in this country willing to call to expropriate landlords, even if it’s just to shift the overton window.