Anti-AfD protests pick up speed: Borken raises the voice!

Anti-AfD protests pick up speed: Borken raises the voice!

On Friday evening, around 70 participants gathered in front of the CDU headquarters at Butenwall in Borken to set a strong sign against the collaboration between the Union and AfD. The participants came from the Greens, the "Borken remains colorful" initiative and the parent movement for future. The occasion of this meeting was the violent criticism of the current approach of the Union in the Bundestag, especially with regard to the tightened migration policy. The assembled citizens appealed to the CDU to rebuild the "fire wall" to the AfD. While the police counted 70 people, the Greens reported about 100 participants, which indicates the broad dismay and the high emotional pressure.

Protest campaign in Borken is part of a far-reaching wave of anti-AfD demonstrations that are currently rolling through Germany. This development was triggered by the controversial coordination of the Union and AfD in the Bundestag to tighten migration policy. Nancy Neubauer from "Fridays for Future" drew attention to the large number of demonstrations that were registered throughout Germany for Thursday and Friday. A total of more than 90 protests were reported, with a large national demonstration in the Berlin government district planned for Sunday, organized by Campact, DGB Berlin-Brandenburg and "Fridays for Future".

protests in Germany

On Wednesday evening, around 1000 people already protested in front of the CDU party center in Berlin, and around 25 people came to the CDU headquarters in Cologne on Thursday morning. For the evening, rallies were announced in many cities such as Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Kiel, Bremen, Freiburg, Hanover and Stuttgart. Politics about asylum and migration are also the focus; CDU and CSU have adopted an application to tighten asylum policy in the Bundestag with votes from the AfD. On Friday, the Union faction is planning a vote on an influx limitation law.

The critical situation was taken up by leading voices from civil society and politics. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her concerns about working with the AfD and called for a rethink. Diakonie President Schuch appealed to the democratic parties to argue objectively, while Luisa Neubauer Merz described Merz as a "security risk for Germany and democracy". Religious representatives were also particularly concerned: State superintendent Dietmar Arends expressed his horror about the Union's approach and Kirsten Schwenke from Diakonie called for a stop further applications that are adopted with AfD votes.

historical context of the protests

The current protests build on a larger anti-AfD movement that mobilized hundreds of thousands last year. These demonstrations were triggered, among other things, by researching a secret meeting of AfD politicians and right-wing extremists. Tayfun Keltek pointed out that such political decisions lead to deep uncertainty among the population. The support for the demonstrations shows that many citizens are demanding a clear line against extremist ideas and actively committed to democracy. The integration of different groups in these protests, such as the Greens and Social Organizations, illustrates the broad front against a possible normalization of extremist content in the political discourse.

The dynamics of these protests can be seen as a clear sign of civil society that becomes dissatisfied with the political orientation and campaigns for democratic values. It will be interesting to observe how this trend will develop in the near future and what strategic answers the parties concerned will provide.