Germany: demonstration in Thuringia to protest against the far right

On February 15, several thousand demonstrators gathered in Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia, to protest against the far right. JENS SCHLUETER / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

In Germany, nearly 18,000 demonstrators gathered on February 15 in Erfurt, capital of Thuringia in the east of the country, where the election of the region's leader thanks to the far right caused a political earthquake on 5 February 2020.

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" Not with us, no pact with the fascists: never and nowhere " or " we do not want power at any cost " proclaim the banners in the streets of Erfurt.

The demonstration was convened by a large coalition of political leaders, NGOs, artists, unionists gathered under the name #Unteilbar , "indivisible" in French, after the surprise election of the liberal Thomas Kemmerich , thanks to the vote of the far right creating a political earthquake across the country.

On Monday, the main political parties, excluding AfD, meet in the capital of Thuringia to decide how to get out of the crisis . Is it possible to form a minority coalition? Do we need new elections?

Jamila Schäfer, vice-president of the Greens (of Alliance 90 - The Greens) in Germany, traveled from Berlin: " A minority coalition between the outgoing candidate of the left, Bodo Ramelow, the social democrats, and the greens we have always been ready for it and we would support such a government ”.

Find political stability without the AfD

For the Vice-President of the Greens, the priority for the region is to find political stability with a government which does not work with a majority supported by the fascists.

" However, we have seen in the past, when there were already protests, that the Liberals and the Conservatives were not at all ready to tolerate a left government. New elections would allow voters to decide for themselves which way they want to go . ”

This mobilization against the extreme right also intervenes in full commemorations of the liberation of the Nazi camps and the bombing of the city of Dresden seventy-five years ago.

The shock wave also continues to spread beyond the borders of the Land , in a Germany confronted - at the latest in 2021 - with the end of the Merkel era, in power for fourteen years.

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  • Germany
  • Angela Merkel

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