Far-right victory in Germany draws protesters in Berlin

Several thousand protesters gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate Monday to decry the far-right Alterantive for Germany (AfD) after the party scored a breakthrough victory in a regional election the previous day.

Berlin police estimated the number of participants at around 5,000 at 7:00 pm (1700GMT), an hour after the rally began, while co-organiser Campact reported 14,000 demonstrators.

An earlier wave of anti-AfD protests in early 2025 drew hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across the country, including massive crowds in the German capital.

The far more modest turnout this Monday evening is "not a sign that people are rising up, ready to act, and aware that it is already the eleventh hour," protester Marie-Therese Hattendorf told AFP.

"I see that democracy in our country is currently under serious threat," she said.

The AfD is already the second-largest party in Germany's parliament and for months has led national opinion polls.

On Sunday, the AfD dealt a crushing blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right CDU and took nearly 44 percent of the vote in the eastern German state of Saxony Anhalt, an economically struggling region of about 2.1 million residents.

The AfD's victory has been seen as a political earthquake in the country, putting a far-right party on the cusp of leading a state government for the first time since the Nazi era.

Another protester, who gave her name only as Alice, told AFP that the result has left her feeling "depressed".

She attended Monday's demonstration with her son and dog, advocating for "an open society where everyone feels welcome and understood".

"We're afraid our democracy is falling apart," another 68-year-old protester named Ellen told AFP while standing beneath the Berlin landmark.

Her husband, Michael, called the election "deeply unsettling".

Several protesters blamed Merz's government for failing to address discontent.

Merz on Monday said he was "deeply shocked" by the vote but vowed to press ahead with a slate of reforms.

Two more regional elections, in Berlin and the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, are scheduled for September 20.