Over 200,000 people, according to police estimates, and 320,000 according to organizers, demonstrated in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, on Saturday, February 8, 2025, against the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and its potential cooperation with other parties. The protests were organized by the "Munich is Multicolored" movement, which sought to send a strong message in favor of diversity, human dignity, cohesion, and democracy ahead of the upcoming elections on February 23.
The demonstrations followed a controversial move by Friedrich Merz, the CDU candidate for chancellor and frontrunner in the polls, who sought support from AfD to pass a non-binding motion in the Bundestag (German parliament) aimed at blocking all undocumented foreigners at the border, including asylum seekers. This move sparked widespread outrage and calls for maintaining the "cordon sanitaire" against the far-right, a principle that has traditionally prevented mainstream parties from cooperating with AfD.
The protests in Munich were part of a larger movement across Germany, with similar demonstrations taking place in Hannover, Bremen, Frankfurt, and other cities. In Hannover, police estimated that 24,000 people participated in a protest organized by the "Grandmothers Against the Far-Right" movement.
While the CDU has since stated that it will not form a government with AfD, the protests highlight the deep concerns about the rise of the far-right in Germany and the potential for its influence on national politics.