200,000 march against far right in Munich
Summary
Over 200,000 people marched in Munich against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with organizers claiming 320,000 participants.
The protests, held under the slogan “democracy needs you,” warned against any party collaborating with the AfD, particularly the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), ahead of legislative elections.
A big thank you to every single person who showed up.
It has been a pleasure
Aren't the AfD only doing well in parts of East Germany, which had previously been under decades of Soviet rule?
This would be a more substantial counter-protest if it occurred in Leipzig or Dresden.
They poll between 11 and 18% in bavaria from what I found. They're doing best in the east, but unfortunately the entire country has a significant part of the population voting for them.
To claim that "Nazis are only relevant in the ex-GDPR" is part of what gave us this mess. Yes the AfD as a Party and other Fascist organizing still benefit from a lot of factors stemming from the History but fascist have a foothold and are gaining ground in the whole of Germany, as well as all other partys trolling to the right in "response" to the AfDs popularity. Friedrich Merz's latest escapades are just a new lowlight in the "mainstream" Partys attempt of claiming they can deport better.
So no I would say protest is substantial in every part of the country and 300000 people taking to the street in one Major city is nothing to sneeze at. (There are protest happing all over the country by the way).
It's young men voting for AfD, also in East Germany, i.e. unrelated to presence of "soviet rule" (DDR was an independent state, not part of the USSR). It's precisely the people being educated in the contemporary glorious western democracy that are turning to fascism, unsurprisingly not the ones who were drilled with antifascism since they were kids in the Freie Deutsche Jugend.
The rise of the far right is taking place all over western Europe and more so in the US, which currently has people in office doing the Sieg Heil and was, until last month, funding a genocide in an apartheid state. Blaming any of this on the Soviets (who actually defeated Nazism at tremendous cost) is ahistorical bullshit.
Meanwhile in the US news outlets are alergic to broadcasting on protests.
Their business is more important than integrity, and they've seen that the president will attack anyone who tries to get in his way.
If all 200k just walked over them… no one is to blame.
Munich's virtue carnival hits 200k clowns – unions and churches suddenly care about 'democracy' after decades of enabling the same neoliberal rot they're now protesting. How quaint. The AfD's deportation fantasies are just the latest distraction pantomime – focus on the real witches: a system where all major parties gut social programs while waving rainbow flags at cameras.
This protest reeks of legacy media's last gasp. Remember when these same orgs called anti-war marches 'naive' in 2003? Now they're rebranding obedience as 'resistance.' Democracy isn't dying – it's a Weekend at Bernie's corpse propped up by people who think hashtags count as civil discourse.
Your comment almost gave me an aneurysm from how nonsensical it is.
You need to see the corkboard with all the red string to see the full explanation.
Crazy, I got the impression that a lot of people complain that the current governemt was too social, and Bürgergeld is too high and not harsh enough.
Ah, the classic "too social" complaint—because heaven forbid a government prioritize basic human dignity over corporate dividends. Bürgergeld isn't some utopian giveaway; it's the bare minimum in a system that already demands your soul for scraps.
What you're hearing is propaganda-fed resentment, weaponized to pit people against each other while the real looters—banks, multinationals, and their political puppets—laugh all the way to their offshore accounts.
If "too social" is the problem, then maybe the solution isn’t harsher policies but dismantling the rigged game that makes people beg for crumbs in the first place.
OK automod deleted my post for not being civil? By suggesting the poster is a bot, which it looks like to me?
Do you actually have an idea, or are your just minimizing stuff you don't agree with?
Why are your so angry with the people you are supposed to convince to join you? Or are your just trying to cyinically convince everyone that nothing is possible by criticizing everything that isn't a molotov?
Ideas? Sure, here’s one: stop mistaking performative outrage for meaningful action. If 200k people can gather to wave placards but can’t organize to challenge the system that keeps them in chains, what’s the point? You’re cheering for a parade, not a revolution.
Angry at “my people”? Who are they? The unions that sold out workers for decades? The churches that moralize while hoarding wealth? Or the hashtag warriors who think posting is praxis? If you’re looking for someone to pat them on the back, keep scrolling.
Criticism isn’t cynicism. It’s clarity. If your big plan is to chant slogans while the machine grinds on, maybe it’s time to rethink who’s really convincing everyone that nothing is possible.
That's a whole lot of people. Good on them!
America needs to learn from Germany. This example. Not the other one. We are currently FAFO on that one.
They have an economic system where they can take days off without losing their homes.
We don't. It's part of the plan. Can't have mass protests when you're about to lose the roof over your head.
If it helps, in 90 years Americans will have anti-fascist rallies...
Came here to say the same thing. Time for Americans to step up and step out.
"Ah, here's the problem: Germany didn't control the most powerful military force on the planet and was therefore defeated. Won't happen this time!"
Unfortunately people are just showing up to the protest but they aren’t fighting the creep of right wing extremist rhetorics into centrist parties and mainstream media.
I agree. We won't see a huge response until people start getting hit by high prices for most things and they see items missing at their grocery stores. My guess is May/June - especially when the temperatures warm up across the U.S..
I was there, it was awesome. Bit short though and the audio equipment wasn't suitable for so many people.
Thank you for showing up!