Around 20,000 protest against far right across Bavaria following AfD state election gains

Statewide turnout across Bavaria

Around 20,000 demonstrators gathered in Munich, Bamberg, and Regensburg on 12 September 2026 to protest against far-right extremism across Bavaria. The demonstrations occurred in response to recent electoral gains by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt. Parallel right-leaning protests directed against the federal government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz drew nearly 2,000 participants across the state. Earlier reports published on Saturday afternoon recorded 16,000 participants across Munich and Bamberg before police authorities in Regensburg released their official counts. According to police spokespersons in each city, the demonstrations and counter-protests concluded largely without disruption.

Assemblies at Munich Siegestor and Königsplatz

In Munich, police reported that approximately 12,000 people took part in a rally designated as a Prüf-Demo in the area surrounding the Siegestor. The gathering drew four times the 3,000 participants originally registered with city authorities. The nationwide campaign called on authorities to have the Federal Constitutional Court examine political parties classified by the domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as suspected or confirmed right-wing extremist entities.

At the same time, around 350 demonstrators assembled at Munich's Königsplatz displaying German flags. Participants at Königsplatz demanded the dismissal of the federal administration under the slogan "Diese Regierung muss weg" ("This government must go"). Organisers had initially registered the Königsplatz rally for up to 1,000 participants. Police reported that roughly 100 counter-demonstrators gathered in the immediate vicinity to oppose the Königsplatz rally.

Confrontation and sit-in blockade in Bamberg

In Bamberg, approximately 1,500 demonstrators marched through the city centre under the banner of the initiative Einigkeit für Deutschland - Projekt M1llion. The group marched with drums, whistles, and German flags, demanding new federal elections, a halt to immigration, and the resignation of the Merz administration. Banners displayed in the crowd featured slogans including "Merz muss weg" ("Merz must go") as well as "Omas gegen Frieden" ("Grandmothers against peace").

A counter-demonstration in Bamberg drew approximately 4,000 participants following calls from multiple civic organisations, including Omas gegen Rechts (Grandmothers against the Right). Counter-protesters carried signs with messages such as "Hier ist kein Platz für rechte Hetze" ("There is no place for right-wing agitation here") and "Braune Soß nur zum Kloß" ("Brown gravy only for dumplings"). Police reported brief delays along the march route when 14 individuals staged a sit-in blockade. Police officers removed several seated protesters by carrying them off the street before the Projekt M1llion march proceeded.

Regensburg demonstration and political context

In Regensburg, police confirmed that approximately 3,500 people took to the streets to demonstrate against right-wing extremism. The gathering was organized by the coalition Initiative gegen Rechts (IgR) in reaction to the AfD's election results in Saxony-Anhalt. Across all three cities, civil society organisations emphasized the necessity of public mobilisations following state elections in eastern Germany, while right-leaning groups focused their demands on federal migration and governance policy. Police deployments across Bavaria concluded on Saturday evening with no serious incidents or property damage recorded.