Tens of thousands of people across the country are taking to the streets against the AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt. In addition to anti-fascist fighting spirit, the right-wing threat has also been evident in an attack on a demonstration in Halle in recent days.

The AfD has the on SundayState electionsclearly won in Saxony-Anhalt with a relative majority of 43.8 percent. This means that it received more than twice as many votes as the second largest party (CDU). The AfD is sure that it will become part of the state government.

The election result has sparked anger, concern and fear in large parts of society. Jens Christianwagner(Head of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation) describes the election results at a rally in Berlin as a “disgrace that makes you angry and stunned.” Almost the entire parliamentary party landscape is now talking about a “breaking point” for the entire country.

Meanwhile, anger is spreading among the population, especially among minorities such as migrants or disabled people, but also fear. They fear that they will experience an AfD state government not just as a “breaking point” but as a concrete threat to their livelihood. After the first projections were announced, people across the country took these feelings to the streets in spontaneous protests. There are already more for the following daysProtest actionslogged in.

Election in Saxony-Anhalt: AfD presents reactionary 100-day program

Spontaneous reactions to the election victory

Shortly after the first projections were announced, several people gatheredcitiespeople to spontaneous protests. In Frankfurt am Main, around 2,500 people took to the streets and, among other things, called for an AfD ban to be examined. A demonstration took place in Berlin with the motto “Defend democracy! – AfD ban now!” took place, in which hundreds of people took part. There were also larger demonstrations in Hamburg and Mainz.

The protests continued on Monday. A rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate was particularly largeBerlin. The organizers of the demonstration under the motto “It’s time to act” expect around 14,000 participants. The action was characterized by speeches and signs with demands such as “Stop the AfD” and “Fascism is not an alternative”. To a certain extent, the mood reflected the mood of many people - sad, angry, but also hopeful and sometimes combative.

Also in othersFederal statesthe protest stirred. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, several thousand people took to the streets. A demonstration under the motto “Fascism is not an alternative” took place in Aachen, in which around 3,000 people took part. In Essen, around 1,200 people took their opinions to the streets and in other cities there were small demonstrations with a few hundred participants. The organizers of various demonstrations and rallies emphasized that it was important to set an example and actively counter the shift to the right.

State election in Saxony-Anhalt: How did the AfD win and how does it want to govern?

“AfD ban now!”

A central demand, especially in larger protests involving parliamentary parties and social associations, was the demand for an AfD ban. The DGB chairman of the Frankfurt city association, PhilippJacks, justifies the demand as follows: "The approach of weakening right-wing extremist forces through political work alone has failed. In several federal states - including Saxony-Anhalt - the AfD is already officially considered right-wing extremist."

Signs with slogans such as “It’s time to check” and “AfD ban now” were repeatedly visible at demonstrations. The demand for a ban on the AfD shows the increasing social recognition of the AfD as a fascist party. Calls for a ban or at least a partial ban on individual politicians and AfD groups are also coming more and more frequently from politicians, but so far there have been no concrete moves in this direction.

“Let’s not put our hope in any party”

In many places, socialist and revolutionary groups also called for protests, for example in Halle an der Saale. There, the Federation of Class Struggle Organizations (FKO) mobilized for a revolutionary demonstration in which around 1,000 people took part. The focus of the action was the class struggle and organizing against fascism. This was made clear by slogans like “Siamo tutti Antifascisti!” that were shouted again and again.

Speakers and protesters repeatedly emphasized that the anti-fascist fight against the AfD should not be left to parliamentary parties or the system that causes and fuels the rise of fascism. Instead, real alternatives are needed that get to the root of the problem - the capitalist system itself.

A spokesman for the International Youth explained this in a speech: "Let's not put our hope in any party, but let's take our future into our own hands, let's organize ourselves for a real alternative, for socialism! [...] We have to do something to counter this inhumane system, a real alternative! A socialist alternative in which we workers have a say!"

Overall, anti-capitalist forces repeatedly emphasize that a ban cannot be a permanent solution to the problem. A ban procedure could briefly disrupt the structures and organization of the fascist parliamentary force, but would not eliminate the social causes for the rise of the AfD. That is why an active anti-fascist struggle, which is also directed against the system that gives fascism its breeding ground, is of fundamental importance.

The fact that this type of protest is a thorn in the side of the fascists is suggested by a frightening event during the demonstration: the demonstrators in Halle were killed during the final rallyattacked with an airsoft gun. According to police, shots were fired at the gathering from a building. One person was slightly injured in the attack. The incident makes it clear that attacks from the right are not just an abstract future scenario, but are already a reality.

Injured after shots fired at anti-fascist demonstration in Halle (Saale)

Repressions against militant anti-fascists in Aachen

However, violence against anti-fascists was not only committed by individuals. This was reported in AachenAutonomous center(AZ) of state repression by the police. Activists gathered there on Sunday evening for a militant spontaneous demonstration. The police reacted drastically to this spontaneous demonstration.

According to AZ Aachen, the demonstrators were pushed towards the Autonomous Center by police officers. Around 50 people were then surrounded there by the police for several hours. According to the AZ, there were attempts to establish contact with the police and cooperate. Instead, the police decided to violently storm the AZ around 12:30 a.m.

The activists were identified and around ten people were arrested. The measures lasted until the early hours of the morning.

The AZ condemns the action as disproportionate and would like to take legal action. In a statement it says: "For us, this remains a gloomy conclusion to an already dark day: a right-wing extremist party becomes the strongest force in a state parliament, while the state and police apparatus have nothing better to do than subject those who resist it to massive repression."

“Our future is in our hands”: Revolutionary demonstration before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt

What should happen next after the AfD wins the election?

The protests of the past few days show that society will not accept the AfD's election victory without objection. Through their lively participation in the nationwide protests, tens of thousands of people have made it clear that they do not want to accept a further shift to the right.

At the same time, the attack on the demonstrators in Halle also shows that the fascist threat continues to grow and that fascists are prepared to act more and more openly. It remains to be seen whether the police will be able to find the person responsible and to what extent the rule of law will deal with them. What was shown again in Aachen, however, is that militant anti-fascism continues to be a thorn in the side of the German state.

Ultimately, the question of the extent to which it is possible to sustain such a protest nationwide, but especially in Saxony-Anhalt, will play a major role in how many of its goals the AfD can implement in the eastern German state.

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