Several tens of thousands of demonstrators began to come together on Sunday, February 2, at the political heart of Berlin, to denounce the rapprochement of the right with the extreme right, three weeks from the legislative elections.
Local police have advanced a first count of at least 20,000 people, when the demonstration is started, shortly after 3:45 p.m., but “This number could increase considerably because we observe an influx of people from all directions”said a spokesperson.
“Shame on you cdu” (“Shame to you cdu”) or “Merz without heart”could we read on some of the signs brandished by the crowd, in reference to the decision of the conservatives of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Friedrich Merz, who tried twice this week to rely on The votes of alternative for Germany (AFD) in order to adopt texts to limit immigration to the Chamber of Deputies.
This de facto alliance broke a political taboo in Germany where traditional parties have refused, since the Second World War, any cooperation at the federal level with the extreme right under what they describe as “CORDON SANITARY”. Friedrich Merz “Wants to unravel the sanitary cord with a big blow against the right -wing extremists”denounced the left NGO Campact, which launched the call to demonstrate in Berlin.
About 500 police officers were mobilized to supervise this rally, which takes place near the German parliament. More than 220,000 people had already demonstrated, Saturday, in big cities like Hamburg, Leipzig, Cologne or Stuttgart, according to figures collected by the public television channel Ard.
Source: Lemonde