Around 150,000 protest in Germany against AfD after Saxony-Anhalt election

Nationwide demonstrations against the AfD

On Saturday, 12 September 2026, approximately 150,000 demonstrators took to the streets across more than twenty German cities to protest against the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The nationwide mobilization was convened by Prüf, an initiative seeking a legal ban on the party, with support from the civil society organization Campact. Crowds gathered in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and over thirty other municipalities, holding placards reading "Ban the AfD now" and "Democracy needs no alternatives." Campact estimated local turnouts at 25,000 participants in Hamburg and 12,000 in Munich, while Berlin police reported thousands marching across multiple locations.

Hamburg25,000

Munich12,000

Hamburg

25000 people

Munich

12000 people

Data from the article text

Saxony-Anhalt results and government negotiations

The protests followed the state parliamentary election in Saxony-Anhalt the previous week, where the AfD secured nearly 44% of the vote. The anti-immigrant and pro-Russian party is now seeking to establish the first far-right regional government in Germany since the end of the Second World War. Domestic intelligence authorities have classified the Saxony-Anhalt branch of the AfD as a confirmed extremist entity. To build a governing administration, the party is conducting talks with the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The regional defeat also placed federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz under political pressure following losses for his party in the eastern state.

Arguments over constitutional defense and party bans

Demonstrators and civic groups expressed alarm over the political trajectory, citing Germany's historical responsibility linked to its Nazi past. Rally organizers called directly on established political parties to launch legal proceedings to outlaw the AfD under constitutional provisions. Campact director Christoph Bautz emphasized the necessity of civil action against party leadership in the eastern regions.

“A broad section of civil society is taking to the streets to prevent the enemies of the constitution, the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, from coming to power.”

Bautz argued that the German Basic Law was explicitly designed to give the state tools to protect democratic institutions from internal opposition.

“The founding fathers and mothers of the Constitution made it very clear: if enemies of the Constitution want to abolish democracy, we need a democracy capable of defending itself. A ban procedure against such a party is therefore necessary.”

Berlin counter-protest and approaching elections

In Berlin, AfD supporters held a counter-demonstration on the same day. Kristin Brinker, the party's lead candidate for the 20 September municipal election in the capital, attended the counter-rally. The weekend demonstrations occur ahead of several scheduled electoral contests, including the Berlin city vote and upcoming regional ballots in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. While calls to ban the AfD have gained traction among civic groups, established political leaders remain divided over whether such a legal motion would succeed or backfire politically. Talks between the AfD and BSW in Saxony-Anhalt remain the immediate focal point of national political attention.