Berlin rally draws thousands to denounce push for harsh new immigration rules

NEWS WIRES

2 February 2025 at 1:41 pm·1-min read

Protesters take part in a demostration under the motto 'Loud against Nazis' with the landmak Brandenburg Gate in the background in Berlin on February 2, 2025.

At least 160,000 turned out to protest in Berlin on Sunday against the center-right party, who is the front-runner in an upcoming federal election this month, for seeking the support of the far-right to push through tough new legislation on immigration.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators converged on Berlin on Sunday to protest against Germany's conservatives' norm-shattering overtures toward the far right.

Police said at least some 20,000 people had gathered just after the protest's 3:45 pm (14:45 GMT) kick-off time outside the Bundestag, Germany's parliament building.

But with demonstrators carrying placards and banners denouncing the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party arriving "from every direction", a police spokeswoman said that tally "could rise considerably".

Organisers planned to march towards the headquarters of the CDU, whose seeking of the far-right AfD's support for an anti-immigration bill in parliament last week sparked the demonstration less than a month ahead of a snap federal election.

Since the end of World War II, German parties have had an unwritten agreement not to work with the far right at the national level.

(AFP)

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