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Demo in Essen on February 18th (archive photo)

Photo: Kai Kitschenberg / FUNKE Photo Services

In Germany, thousands of people took to the streets again at the weekend to demonstrate against right-wing extremism.

One of the biggest events began on Sunday afternoon in Hamburg.

The organizers, including the climate movement Fridays for Future, expected around 30,000 people.

At the beginning, the police did not mention the number of participants.

The elevator wanted to take a route through the city center.

Performances by the band Deichkind and several speeches were planned, including by transformation researcher Maja Göpel and political scientist Katharin Nocun.

Police had to correct the number

The event is the third major demonstration against the right in the Hanseatic city since January.

Around 180,000 people came to the first meeting.

The police subsequently had to significantly increase the number.

Further demos were registered for Sunday in other cities, such as Berlin, Dresden, Celle, Kiel and Potsdam.

On Saturday, around 8,000 people demonstrated in Stuttgart under the motto “Break the right-wing wave”.

The Baden-Württemberg Refugee Council and more than 80 other organizations called for this.

In Brandenburg there were demos in several cities, including Brandenburg an der Havel, Beelitz and Herzberg.

With music against anti-Semitism

In Neubrandenburg in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the pianist Igor Levit campaigned against anti-Semitism with piano sounds.

Under the title “Against the silence.

He played against anti-Semitism on Saturday in the Neubrandenburg Concert Church together with other artists.

Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) opened the event.

According to the police, around 800 people then came to the vigil against right-wing extremism and xenophobia.

The nationwide protests were triggered by revelations by the media company Correctiv about a meeting of radical right-wingers in Potsdam.

AfD politicians as well as individual members of the CDU and the Union of Values ​​are said to have taken part.

One topic is said to have been the expulsion of millions of migrants.

SMS/dpa