Thousands rally against Germany's far right
BERLIN — Tens of thousands of people protested in Berlin on Sunday against plans to limit immigration proposed by opposition conservatives and supported by the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
Friedrich Merz, the conservatives' leader who is tipped to become Germany's next chancellor after a national election set for Feb 23, sponsored a draft bill with AfD support, breaking a taboo against cooperating with the far-right party.
About 160,000 gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, next to the Bundestag lower house, according to the Berlin police. The protesters held banners reading "We are the firewall, no cooperation with the AfD" and "Merz, go home, shame on you".
