Around 200,000 citizens protested yesterday in Berlin against the non-binding anti-immigration bill that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the far-right AfD jointly approved last week.
The police estimate that around 160,000 people participated in Sunday’s protest, while the protesters believe over 200,000 attended. The demonstration started outside the Bundestag, the German parliament building, and moved toward the CDU headquarters.
The CDU’s decision to cooperate with the far right sparked criticism, even on a non-binding bill. It was seen as breaking an informal agreement among democratic parties to never work with the far right.
Former Chancellor (and CDU leader) A. Merkel also criticized the bill, the CDU’s move, and its leader F. Mertz’s decision to cooperate with the far right.
The protest took place three weeks before the national elections (February 23), and similar demonstrations are planned across Germany in the coming period. The CDU is currently leading the elections, followed by the AfD in second place.
The bill passed in the German Parliament includes the rejection of all asylum applications at the German borders and the detention of individuals whose applications have been denied but who refuse to leave the country voluntarily.
Friedrich Merz defended his actions as “necessary” and said he did not seek the AfD’s support.
“A correct decision does not become wrong just because the wrong people agree,” he said last week.
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