Germany: protests against far-right after secret meeting with neo-Nazis

At the secret meeting, three target groups were named: asylum seekers, foreigners with the right to stay and 'unassimilated citizens'.

By Mercedes Romero Sabaini

This Saturday, 20 January, a march was held in Hannover against the far right in Germany, better known as Alternative for Germany (AfD). For a week now, they have been demonstrating in every city.

The trigger was a secret meeting between the organisation and a group of neo-Nazis, where among various issues, they raised the deportation of up to the 3rd generation of people with migrant origins. In Hannover, around 35,000 people gathered today in the middle of winter in sub-zero temperatures. On the other hand, in Hamburg more than 30,000 people participated against right-wing extremism and neo-Nazi networks.

These protests follow revelations by the independent media outlet Correctiv, which reported on a meeting of far-right extremists in November, attended by members of the AFD and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). They reported that one of the topics discussed was the planning of widespread deportations of migrants from Germany, and three target groups were named: asylum seekers, foreigners with the right to stay and "unassimilated citizens".

In addition, the concept of "remigration", a term often used by right-wing extremists to refer to the departure of people of foreign origin from the country, usually against their will, was raised.

The AfD came into being about 10 years ago but has kept a low profile until now. The fact that they got together this time and came up with a master plan brings back a lot of memories of Nazism.

Ninety years ago, on 20 January, they got together and came up with a similar plan, which ended up in the gas chambers of the concentration camps. For this reason, the slogan of the demonstrations is "Nie wieder" (Never again!).

Since the post-war period, Germany has taken the decision to remove all elements alluding to Nazism and its main leaders, out of respect and remembrance, and also to prevent neo-Nazi groups from gathering around these elements. Both statues and information posters recalling meeting places and planning for the Third Reich were removed.

On Sunday there will be protests in Berlin and Dresden. In Munich, meanwhile, between 10,000 and 20,000 demonstrators are expected in the evening of the same day.

*This article was originally published on  Canal C.