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Tuesday afternoon, 4 p.m.

It's supposed to start here on the market square in two hours: Roman Möller from the “Schwerin for All” alliance has registered a demonstration against the right.

A first for him personally.

Roman Möller, “Schwerin for everyone”:


“I’m a little excited because it’s the first time that I’m organizing a demo like this.

We expect an increase compared to last week.

That’s actually why I’m a little excited.”

Roman Möller, a trained computer scientist, has been involved in the SPD for years, but party interests should not be in the foreground today.

Roman Möller, “Schwerin for everyone”:


“For me it is getting worse and more unbearable to see how society is moving to the right.

How an ever-increasing portion of the population trivializes or simply looks the other way against dangers and risks that are becoming more and more clearly visible as a result of this shift to the right.

The shift to the right in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is also reflected in the latest surveys: According to Forsa, the AfD is the strongest party in the country with 31 percent.

Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig's Social Democrats only have 21 percent.

5:30 p.m.: The market square is still empty.

Last week, 1,600 people came together here, “Fridays for Future” organized Schwerin’s first pro-democracy demo.

Now Roman Möller has taken over.

The first speakers arrive.

Roman Möller, “Schwerin for everyone”:


“Then we would take you third after the mayor and the theater director.”

Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt, regional bishop of the North Church:


“Anyone in our country who talks about “remigration” or develops deportation fantasies, we must clearly oppose them and we must respond to them with a clear “no” and “never again.”

Final discussions with the police.

The place is slowly filling up.

»What other options do we have in a democracy?

We are not active in politics.

I am retired.

She goes to work.

So we can say we don’t want that.”

"No matter what skin color.

No matter what your beliefs, whether Catholic or Protestant.

And it's important, we are a community.

It only works together.

I want to show this to my son.”

»When you hear how East Germany is perceived – as an AfD stronghold.

That people say: No, this is not East Germany.

We are more than that.”

The protests across Germany were triggered by revelations about a meeting between right-wing extremists and politicians from the AfD and CDU.

According to the “Correctiv” research network, it was also about the expulsion plans for millions of people from Germany, including asylum seekers and Germans with a migration background.

Roman Möller, “Schwerin for all”:


“In this respect, we have to make it clear to people out there every day that if you support the plans of the right, the AfD and the like, then your society will be many people poorer and less worth living in than until now."

People from a wide variety of backgrounds came together in Schwerin: churchgoers, queer groups, families, Antifa activists.

But what do the demonstrations bring?

Can they stop the shift to the right?

»I think we're awake now.

I made the transition 35 years ago.

And that was such an act of liberation and I feel like it’s happening again.”

»I have a migrant background myself and I am in favor of us taking to the streets.

I think we should do something.

We think it will make a difference.

And it gets several people to join in because: “Never again is now.”

We have to do something, we can’t just sit at home.”

»No fascism.

Never again.

This simply cannot happen and as a silent crowd we must stand up.

We must not give them the streets or the speech.

We simply can’t do that.”

And organizer Roman Möller – is he satisfied with his first organized demo against the right?

Roman Möller, “Schwerin for everyone”:


“I am happy and inspired.

I can't remember ever having so many Democrats on the streets.

The latest police estimate is that 2,600 people were on the streets.

We think there are a few more.

So, it's a complete success.

I am happy."

Whether the demos will change the political mood in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will also become apparent in this year's elections.

People in the state can cast their vote twice - in the local elections and in the European elections.