Tens of thousands protest against AfD

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 2026-09-12 20.26

 

Alternative for Germany (AfD) party leaders Alice Weidel (right) and Tino Chrupalla (left), along with the lead candidate for the Saxony-Anhalt state election, Ulrich Siegmund (center). Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP/TT

Tens of thousands of people protested on Saturday against the far-right party AfD, which won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, last weekend.

The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now attempting to form the first far-right state government in Germany since World War II.

Around 150,000 demonstrators took to the streets in some 20 German cities on Saturday to protest against the AfD. Protesters chanted slogans such as "Ban the AfD now" and "Democracy needs no alternatives."

The AfD secured nearly 44 percent of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt election but fell short of an absolute majority; the party is now attempting to negotiate with other parties to form a government in the state.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party, the CDU, received 17.2 percent of the vote.